Brief Moments
by Mishisama
Summary: Sequel to All that Time Allows. Shippo finds love, Inuyasha and Kagome discover that love has a price. Sango is keeping a secret from Miroku. Sesshoumaru discovers that Rin is not what she seems. Major lemon!
1. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 1

Home Sweet Home

Thanks to Ranuel for helping out with editing and research for this story.

It was a beautiful morning as Miroku and Sango helped Kagome from the well. Her backpack was packed so full it was about to burst its seams. Several backpacks had already been brought up by the group. Mama had overloaded them all with blankets, cooking supplies, and little gadgets to make their lives "much easier". There was a good chunk of Kagome's backpack that consisted of batteries to power it all.

"Is Mama going to send us back with something every time we visit?" Sango asked as Kagome slumped to the ground.

Kagome fought to get the heavy bag to release her form its death grip. It took Sango's help to get her free. After several moments of catching her breath, Kagome gave Sango her reply. "You should count on it. Mama likes to be helpful."

"Maybe we should get Inuyasha to carry this one," Miroku said as he tried to move the large bag out of her way.

Sango was about to ask what was taking Inuyasha so long to get Kaede back, but a very loud growl stopped her words before she could get them out.

"Grrr, Ka…e…deeee. Get off my back!"

"Punk!"

The gang did not lose any time getting to the well in order to help Kaede out.

Looking down into the well, Kagome asked, "Are you ok, Inuyasha?"

"I'm telling you…that is worse than your 8 sits in a row!"

"Kaede, how do you keep ending up on his back like that?" Miroku asked as they away from the well.

"I tuck when I should hop," she said with a smile.

"Kaede-sama…" Sango was shocked.

"Oh child, you have to admit it's funny." Kaede insisted with a wicked smirk on her face.

"I'll get Shippo and the last backpack," Kagome said as Inuyasha climbed from the well. He gave her a quick nod before she jumped in and disappeared.

"You'll have to carry this one Inuyasha," Miroku pointed at the pack that had almost enslaved Kagome. "It was too much for Kagome-sama to carry."

"Ok, just let me sit here for a sec."

"Ok? No conceded comments?" Miroku put his hand on Inuyasha's forehead, "Are you feeling ok?"

Inuyasha knocked Miroku's hand out of the way, "will you stop that!"

"Kagome has changed you," Sango added.

"Oh yeah, he is one whipped puppy," Miroku chuckled.

"Look who's talking. Don't move too far to right, Miroku, it's a short leash and you might choke yourself."

"Inuyasha!" Shippo yelled as he hopped out of the well, "Kagome needs your help. The bag is too heavy for her, and I can't get her to listen to me."

He was on his feet immediately and in the well before anyone could say another word. "Give me that. You should've let me get it to begin with. You could've hurt your back or something."

"But you said your back hurt. I wanted to give you a break."

Miroku and Sango could hear the words as they echoed up the walls of the well. They were both amused by the conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome.

"They're disgusting," Sango giggled. "Are we that sickly sweet to each other?"

"We might be to other people," Miroku answered as he shrugged his shoulders.

While the others took their time with the heavy backpacks, Myouga, rushed back to the village alone. He had managed to find a small rat to give him a ride.

"If Inuyasha-sama will not listen to me, then I have no choice. I must find him the one person whom he might listen too."

He left the rat at the edge of the village. The rest of the trip would be made on foot. He was hopping as fast as his little legs would let him. The old flee was out of breath and could barely speak by the time he found Kirara. The large cat had been camped out on the step of Miroku and Sango's hut. She had seemed very contented to sit there waiting for them to return. However, Myouga was very insistent that he needed her help. He had hopped on to the cat's head and instantly began explaining that they had to leave.

"Kirara, you must take me to the western lands. This could be a matter of life and death for Kagome-sama. I can not let Inuyasha know that I am making this trip, so we must leave right now."

Kirara seemed hesitant at first, but did as Myouga had asked. They had just managed a clear escape from sight as the gang passed the rice fields and entered the village.

"Which one is ours?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Miroku pointed as he spoke, "That one. See your bike is waiting for you. Everything else you left is inside."

"Whoa, I thought you were kidding," Inuyasha whispered as he followed them to the small hut.

"It needs some work, but we can help with that." Sango assured the couple. "Miroku is really good with his hands."

"Ah," Miroku sighed, "those are words that every man wants his woman to announce to their friends."

Sango's face turned a deep shade of red as her backpack collided with Miroku's head. "Oops, I hope I didn't just break something in the bag."

"Don't worry about it. We can get it replaced if you did. It's an even trade for getting to see his face when you did it," Inuyasha said. He put the large backpack on the porch and turned to face Miroku, who was rubbing the back of his head. "We really have our own hut?"

Miroku answered, "It's yours. Ours is over there, across from Kaede-sama's."

Kaede had been so quite that they had forgotten she was there until she spoke up, "Well, I'll leave you all to sort your things." The old woman was humming as she walked away.

"What's gotten into her?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think she has taken a liking to Grandpa," Kagome giggled.

"No," Sango said trying not to laugh.

"I am sure he likes her," Miroku added. "He mentioned it several times to me. Higurashi-sama had a lot to say about her feminine wiles."

"Enough, I don't need to know that my grandpa is a pervert!" Kagome commanded as she turned to enter the hut. "You can take your backpacks to your hut and sort out the contents. If there is anything of ours in them…we'll trade it later."

"We just can't take you anywhere can we?" Sango said to Miroku as she turned to leave.

_'It looks like everything is back to normal. Well…as normal as it can get.' _Shippo was setting on the largest backpack when Inuyasha finally decided to stop staring into space. "Welcome home, Inuyasha," he said cheerfully.

4


	2. The Ruff Spots

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 2

The Rough Spots

Kagome was setting on the floor and fighting the backpack in front of her. Finally she found the item that had invoked all of her digging. "Shippo, take this to Kaede," she said, as she handed him the small first aid kit. "I don't think there is anything else for her in here."

"I can always make another trip," Shippo insisted happily before rushing out the door.

"He's so happy to have us back." Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, who was busy trying to figure out where to put all the stuff. "I never really noticed it before, but he is a lot like Souta."

"No, Souta's not that hyper," Inuyasha insisted. He was only half paying attention to her. "Where are we going to put all this stuff? We can't carry it around with us?"

Kagome stood and picked up a blanket. She walked over to place it with the others as she spoke, "Souta may not seem hyper to you, but he is to me."

She had to bend over to stack the blankets into a neat little pile. Now she had his full attention. He could not see her panties, but he knew they were there. She found herself pinned against the wall when she finally stood up.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she giggled. He had just given her enough room to turn and face him.

"It just occurred to me that we're alone," he said as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"Is that a fact?" she asked, trying to look serious.

He flashed a quick smile and bent into kiss her.

"Has anyone seen Kirara?" Miroku called out as he entered the hut.

A jolt of lightning had run through both Kagome and Inuyasha. It caused them both the jump.

"Oh, am I interrupting?"

"Yes," Inuyasha snapped.

"No, Miroku-sama, we haven't seen Kirara." Kagome answered. She was more than a little embarrassed by the interruption.

"I wonder where she has run off to?" Miroku whispered, rubbing his chin.

"You're still here," Inuyasha growled.

"Ok, I'm going." Miroku backed out of the hut with both hands over his eyes.

"If he did that on purpose…" Inuyasha grumbled through clinched teeth.

"He wouldn't try that again," she stopped to think about it. "Would he?"

He looked her in the eyes. "Do you really think he will ever stop being a pervert?"

"Probably not," She smiled and shook her head.

Without warning he kissed her. It was a deep kiss that she could not escape. It was a kiss that made her body shake. It was not the physical aspect of the kiss that had her shaking, but the amount of emotion he pushed into her as he did it. There was always so much longing, and an overwhelming need to be loved by her. She could return the emotion, but not as easily as he could give it to her. What had taken her years to make him show had now become unceasing. His emotions were always just below the surface, but hers were deep inside. It was a fact that was hard for her to accept. He was the unemotional one in everything except his love for her. Meanwhile, she was afraid to let it all out. Like her miko, it was to strong for her to keep that close to the surface.

He broke the kiss. They were both panting. His lips were still close enough to hers that he could have continued kissing her. "Kagome…?

"I'm not stopping you," she panted.

He pressed his body against hers, and his leg slide between her thighs. Her hands rested on his shoulders to help her keep balance. His hand was under her shirt, and looking to free her from her bra.

"I'm back," Shippo announced.

"Damn it, doesn't anybody know how to knock around here?" Inuyasha snapped as he backed away from Kagome, who was struggling to hide the fact that her bra was undone. "Shippo, go help Sango."

Shippo's eyes filled with tears. "They don't want me in the way either," he said as he left the hut.

"Oh, Shippo," Kagome whispered through her hand.

Inuyasha's anger faded immediately, "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"I know," she replied, looking down at the floor. Her hand was still over her month.

He kicked the trunk that set against the wall and turned away from her. "It's his fault. He should've knocked."

"Those words don't match what you are feeling," Kagome said as she fixed her bra. "You wouldn't have done that if it were Souta."

"Souta would've knocked," he let is voice trail off.

"I am sure it had to be hard on Shippo while we were gone. He has been staying with Kaeda."

"I know that," Inuyasha grumbled as he started going through one of the large backpacks. He stopped when he came to a box that had Shippo's name on it.

"Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, I think we have a big decision to make."

Shippo sat quietly on the edge of the rice field. An hour had passed by with him staring at his reflection in the water. He looked as lonely as he felt. He thought that having Kagome and Inuyasha back would make things better. He had been left alone when Sango moved to Miroku's hut. Kaede was nice, but it was not the same. He had tried staying with Miroku and Sango, but he only got in their way. Now it looked like the same was happening with Inuyasha and Kagome. He closed his eyes in hopes to hold back his tears. '_It's going to be like when dad died. I'll be all alone. Everyone will forget me. I should just leave now.' _Without opening his eyes, he got to his feet and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He took a step forward, but was knocked on to his butt when he ran into Inuyasha's leg.

Inuyasha plopped down in front of Shippo and set the Tetsusaiga on the ground. "Forget about what happened. I know you weren't trying to do anything wrong."

Shippo actually didn't know what to say. He wasn't expecting this kind of behavior from Inuyasha.

"I know this is strange. I'm not used to me being this way either, so let me say what I need to say." He paused to look at Shippo, who just nodded. "I remember you saying that you would be there when I didn't have a family for the wedding. You're like a little brother to me, and I'm not leaving you alone. We both want you to stay with us."

The smile on Shippo's face said it all. He was so happy that he couldn't help but jump up and hug Inuyasha. "Thank you, Inuyasha!"

"Ok, enough of that," Inuyasha grumbled and picked up his sword. "Up on the shoulder. We got to get back and talk about the rules."

"Rules?"

"Yah, you need to warn us before you enter."

"Ok, I can do that!" Shippo chuckled gleefully. "What else?"

"How old are you really?" Inuyasha had to ask. They had a few minutes before they would reach the hut anyway. "Kitsune have a habit of lying about their age."

"I'm not lying. I really am a kid, Inuyasha."

"You can be pretty smart for a kid, Shippo," Inuyasha insisted.

"Ok, Inuyasha, I don't know how old I am. I know that I'm not old enough to fake a full human form. Kitsune have to be grown ups to do that. I am still a kid because I can't do it."

"So when you can pass for a human…you will be an adult? Have you tried to pass for human?" Inuyasha stopped for a moment to look at Shippo.

"Hehe…" Shippo gave a nervous laugh. He had the feeling that Inuyasha was not going to like his answer. "No. I haven't had a reason too lately."

Inuyasha whacked Shippo over the head, "Bakaro…how in the hell do you know if you are a kid or not!"

Shippo jumped to the ground and began rubbing the big bump that popped up in the center of his head, "How did you know when you were a grown up?"

Inuyasha scratched his head and thought about it for a moment. He was mumbling to himself as he thought.

"Well, Inuyasha, how did you know?" Shippo was beginning to feel sure of himself, "Not so easy to figure out is it?"

Inuyasha looked down at Shippo with a cocky grin on his face, "I would say that it was when my mother died and I was left to take care of myself, but I don't know about that. Maybe it was when I figured out that I had feelings for Kikyou." The grin got wider as he continued to talked, "Didn't your dad's death leave you by yourself? You've had crushes on several girls yourself, haven't you?"

Shippo's self confidence took an instant nosedive. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out where this was going. He tried to turn and run, but Inuyasha had him buy the tail before he could get too far.

"You've been playing it up all this time haven't you?" He growled as Shippo dangled upside down in his grasp.

"Whaa…I promise, Inuyasha, I really don't think I can do it. Kagomeeeee!"

Kagome quickly appeared on the porch, "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's eyes went wide and he dropped Shippo, "Damn it, she's…"

"Osuwari!"

"Now it really is like old times!" Shippo chuckled.

Kagome watched as a very dusty Inuyasha made it to his feet. "Why did you do that!" He shouted.

"I knew you were mad. I saw you holding Shippo by the tail. All signs indicated that the word needed to be said," she shrugged.

"Did you think that maybe I had a reason to be mad at him?"

"No, but you usually don't."


	3. Feels Like Home

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 3

Feels Like Home

Shippo was very happy about his new home. A large blanket had been used to divide one side of the hut, and Kagome was still hard at work hanging a second blanket. It would make the couple's corner of the hut more like a closed room. It would not be prefect, but it would give them some sense of privacy. Shippo would not have to worry about privacy, because Mama had sent back a surprise for him. The night before the wedding, the Souta had decided to camp outside to avoid all the craziness in the house. Shippo had instantly fallen in love with the small tent that they had used. Knowing that Shippo liked the tent was all that it took, Mama could not resist sending one back for him. The tent was large enough to store the GameBoy and its games, Kagome's CD player, and whatever else he wanted to put in it. It seemed just perfect, Shippo had his own little room, and soon the couple would have theirs.

Outside the sun was setting fast. Kagome was exhausted. Her mind could have sworn that the day had just started, but her tired body said otherwise. With the second blanket hung securely in place, Kagome turned to look at the rest of the room. Everything seemed to be unpacked and in its proper place. Dinner was the final chore on the list of things to be done.

"Shippo can you get a pot of water for me?" She asked as she stared digging through cooking supplies.

"You bet!" Shippo flew from his tent and snatched the pot from its hook. He was so happy to be of use to someone. It was a feeling he had not felt in a long time.

Kagome smiled as she watched him skip out the door. '_It is nice to see him so happy,'_ She thought, looking down at the small pit where the cooking fire would be set. '_I hope it lasts. I can't believe we've all come this far.'_

Kagome had just decided to stand as Inu Yasha entered the hut. He looked at her and shrugged, "We can't find her. Nishi said that Kirara was on the porch of Sango's hut when she went out to tend the rice fields. Other than that, none of the other villagers have seen her. It's like Kirara just vanished." He walked over and put his arms around her. This was fallowed with a small kiss.

"Is Sango doing ok?"

"She is a little worried, but it is not like Kirara hasn't done this before." He stopped and looked down at the floor. "What's all this?" He asked, noticing the oddly shaped packages that were on the floor next to her feet.

"I was about to make dinner, so be nice," she warned. "I don't want anything about me being a bad cook. You've got a bad habit of doing that."

"Kiss me again and I will be on my best behavior."

"Done," she said, reaching up to pull his face down to a kissable level.

"Can I come in?" Shippo called from the porch.

"He remembered," Inu Yasha said in amazement. Kagome just smile up at him. "You can come in."

"I got the water, Kagome, is there anything else you want me to do?" He asked and stopped in mid step. He noticed Inu Yasha still had his arms around Kagome's waist, "Did I come back too soon?"

"Shippo, you're fine," Kagome assured him.

"If you're going to stay with us, you're going to see us like this a lot. Why try to avoid it?" Inu Yasha explained. He released Kagome to walk over and examine the blankets that were hanging from the ceiling. After finding the opening, we walked inside and examined their tiny corner of the room. "This doesn't look to bad. I think this just might work." He set the Tetsusaiga next to his pillow and sprawled out on the futon, "Not bad at all."

"Glad you like it. It took me forever to figure out how to accomplish it."

"Is there anything else you want me to do, Kagome?" Shippo asked again.

"Nah, I think I can get everything else from here."

"Let me know if you need me for anything else," with that said, Shippo went in to his tent and put the flap down.

Kagome looked at the tent and then at the walls of blanket. '_Wha...I'm alone? That's not fair.'_ She told herself. She looked down at the packets of ingredients on the floor for a moment before plopping down on her butt. '_It sucks to be the housewife.'_

Hours had passed before Kagome was able take her turn at getting comfy in their new fortress of blankets. Their first meal as a family seemed to go well enough, but Inu Yasha was growing restless as he snuggled beside her.

"When is he going to go to sleep?" Inu Yasha whispered in her ear.

"I don't know. I can't tell if his light is on, are you sure he is not already asleep?"

"He's awake. I can hear music," he said as he propped himself up with his arm and leaned over her.

The little travel lamp gave off just enough light for her to see his ears going crazy. "Are you sure he hasn't fallen asleep with the Discman on?"

"He's not asleep. I can hear his breathing!"

"Fine, what does it matter?" She asked just before lifting her mouth to his neck. "He is not going to hear us if the music is on."

"Aaa…You are so mean to me," he complained as he gave her a gentle push to return her to her back.

"You do need to get used to this if he is going to live with us. He can't see what we are doing. We can't even see light through the blankets...how is he going to see anything we do?"

Inu Yasha set up and started ranting, "Damn it, do you have no shame? It's only a blanket. What if he hears us?"

"Me? You were the one who all but undressed me while he was asleep in my arms!" She popped up and grabbed him by the hair, "You didn't mind me being loud when grandpa was only two rooms away from us. I could be wrong, but I don't think he has lost his hearing yet!"

"I…I…well…maybe…that was me, wasn't it?" He scratched his.

Sango stood alone on the porch of the small hut looking up at the sky. The night was clear and warm. The moon was only a quarter of the way full, which left very little light to see her surroundings. Still, she did not let that stop her from trying to search the road that lead to Inu Yasha's forest.

Miroku, who had been trying to get them ready for bed for well over an hour, come up behind her and placed his arms around her shoulders. He brushed his lips against her ear and spoke softly, "She'll come back to you. You need to come in and let me comfort you."

She raised her hands to grasp the arms that held her tightly. "That appetite of yours is never satisfied, is it?" She asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

He pulled her body around to face his. There was no force to the action, but a gentle hit of urging. He wanted to give her no resistance if she did not feel like humoring him. Though her head was down to avoid his gaze, she was allowing him to guide her body.

"It's your fault. You're so delicious that I can't get enough of you?"

She buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" His mouth was looking for uncovered skin on her neck.

"Speak with that voice. That voice that makes my legs weak," she answered and began pushing him back towards the doorway.

He purposely placed his lips against her ear before speaking, "You mean this voice that is full of warm breath?"

She took a very deep breath and started pushing with more force, "Ok, inside!"

"That's what I'm trying to do right now," he sighed and reached down the front of her kimono.

"You are so bad!" she squeaked as she threw him through the doorway.

He landed on his butt, in exactly the place he wanted to be, in the middle of the futon. "Thanks be to Buddha! I love it when you're rough." He laughed as he shot forward and pulled her down. She was so knocked off balanced that she ended up on her back. Of course, Miroku used her position to place himself on top of her.

She arched her back to allow his hands the room to untie the material that kept her kimono in place. Once the kimono was opened, the armor was nothing for him to worry about. Her breasts were already exposed for him to kiss and caress.

"That was fast," she gasped as he bit her left nipple.

He sucked at the nipple and released it. "You made me wait. I had time to think about what I wanted to do to you." He looked up into her eyes and flicked her nipple with his tongue, "Admit it, Sango, you like when I'm bad."

She said nothing; instead she smiled and closed her eyes. He took it as a definite yes. He finished removing the rest of her clothing as he slowly started to move down her body. He was kissing, licking and biting as he went. He loved this part of their love making. It allowed him to be as perverted as he wanted without making her mad. Not to mention, he got to see how excited he could make her each time. It was quickly becoming his own private game. It was a challenge to see how long he could tease her without losing his mind.

He kissed her inner thigh several times before running his tongue back up to her stomach.

"Miroku," she moaned.

He smiled and kissed her stomach again. Leaving a trail of kisses, he traveled down until he could place his tongue inside of her. Shivers traveled through her body. It was the first time she had felt anything like it. She had to move her body, because it was maddening to be still. Her hips lifted off the futon to meet his mouth. She was working her hip on her own, which turned him on all the more.

"Enough! I have to get these clothes off," Miroku panted as he fought his own robes.

After recovering herself, Sango forced herself to her knees. She grabbed his hands and forced him to be still. "Let me do it," she whispered. She kissed his neck before pulling off the robes. "What were you doing to me?" She asked as she went back to kissing his neck.

Miroku's eyes closed. He was breathing hard when he pulled the loincloth from his hips. "Let me inside of you first."

"Not yet…it's my turn," she said while her nails ran down his chest.

From the look on his face one would think that he was in pain, but in truth, he was in ecstasy. His voice came out shaky, "you are so cruel."

"You like it when I'm cruel," she teased as she pressed her body closer to his and reached up to pull his hair.

"Damn that body of yours! You're getting too good at this." He lowered his body so he could sit on his legs. Then he tried to pull her body forward. "Please, Sango…please," he begged in a breathy half whisper.

She smiled and kissed him. "How do you want me?" She asked at last.

He moved his legs so he could sit with them crossed, and told her to startle his lap. She had an idea of what he had in mind. She did as he asked, and moved herself into a position that allowed his penis slid in with no effort at all. Knowing that it would drive him crazy, she wrapped her legs around him.

He let out a groan, and his head went straight into her breasts. "You're too much woman for me!" He panted as his hands took hold of her hips. "Lean back and rest on my legs."

It seemed like a strange idea, but she bent back. Her back was now arched with her head on the futon. He could see her entire body as he moved her, and she had gaven him control over all movement. He was already close to having an orgasm, and he needed a distraction. He was trying to remember his breathing, but it was not enough. In desperation he moaned, "It's one of the Sutras."

The sound of his voice confused her. She tried to form words but failed, "W…Wha?"

He took a deep breath and pulled her forward, "Everything I've done to you has been in the Sutras. I'll do it all to you…when I finish them…I'll do them all over again." He had to stop and take another deep breath before he continued, "After we're finished with that…I'll write my own damn Sutras!"


	4. The Real World

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 4

The Real World

Words to know:

Baka Stupid, or foolish. Don't use this if you encounter someone who is Japanese. It is quit an insult to them. I had to through that in, because it is not explained to most people when the word is used. I believe that I used bakaro as well. Bakaro is the equivalent of dumb ass. Some will say that it is asshole. Just know that it is a heavy slam if you hear it. There really is not an exact equivalent for the word. It always depends on how it is said, or when it is used. You will find this is true of several Japanese words.

Bikuni this is the title given to a female disciple of Buddhism. It is much like the title of priestess.

Inu Yasha's half naked body remained motionless as he stared as the battery operated alarm clock. He was lying on his side with Kagome curled up against his bare chest. The last thing in the world he wanted was for that alarm to go off. The hut was still dark. The walls of blanket were keeping the light from them. It would take several more hours for the sun to wake her. Surely, Shippo's tent would have a similar effect on him. The only thing that could disrupt his world would be that alarm. If he was right, it would bring his quiet world to a buzzing halt in a few minutes.

He closed his eyes, and tried to forget everything around him. He blocked out everything except her body. It was warm and soft, with a sweet scent, as always. '_I want this forever. If I can have this, I would be happy.'_ He thought as his hand entered her shirt, and found a comfortable spot to rest at the small of her back. The buzz of the alarm sent a horrible realization to the forefront of his mind, '_We have_ _to return to the real world_.' He wasn't ready for it yet. He tightened his hold on her as she tried to move. '_Not yet! Please, not yet.'_

"Inu Yasha, I have to get the alarm," Kagome mumbled. She had managed to free one arm, and was now trying to turn over.

"I know," he whispered in defeat. He took a deep breath and let her go.

She flipped the switch and returned to her previous position. She could feel his anxiety as plainly as if it were something that was happening in her own mind. She avoided asking if he was ok, and went right to the point. "Why are anxious, Inu Yasha?"

"I'm not…," he didn't know why he was trying to deny it. She could feel everything that he felt, so it was a stupid thing to lie about. "I don't want to let go of you yet. I wanted to hold you a little longer…that's all."

"I don't have to go to school anymore. I could just stop going."

He gently pushed her away and set up. He pressed his hands against his face and slowly moved them up into his hair. He repeated the motion several times. It was like he was trying to wipe some invisible thing off of his face. His words came out sounding agitated, "We've talked about this already. You started this before we decided to be together. You worked hard for it." Finally, he lowered his hands and turned to face her before finishing, "I want you to be able to go to school. It meant a lot to you in the past."

She sat up to meet his eyes as she spoke, "You want me to be able to go back to my old life…incase I lose you to Kikyo."

She may as well have told him sit. The words hit him just as hard. His throat was closing up, and his words were getting stuck in his throat. The best he could manage was a whisper, "that's…not it."

"Don't lie, you can't do it now. You couldn't do it before…but you really can't do it now." She leaned towards him and kissed him softly before going on, "I know you don't believe that Naraku can win. I know you'd never let anything happen to me, so there can't be anything else that could separate us."

"I don't know why, but I am terrified that there is something that will separate us. Somewhere there is this **_thing_** that will take you from me. You'll leave me, or I will die…or…maybe I will die because you left me. Sorry, I can't help that the fear is there. It would help me if you did this for yourself."

"Fine, I'll get going. I need to take a shower anyway."

"Hold on, I'm walking you to the well," he said as he grabbed the white half of his kimono top.

"Baka," she grumbled. "I'm sure that I can make it to the well in on piece."

He stood and looked at her grumpy face. Her expression didn't change as he raised his hands to her cheeks, and pressed his palms against them. Her forehead was full of wrinkles. He finally took his thumbs and ran them against her forehead like he was trying to smooth it over. The gesture made her crack a smile.

He was talking softly to make the words sound reasonably calm, "Can't I just walk with you? Do I have to have a reason?"

"Sorry, I'm being mean," she whispered as she looked down.

He forced her to look up into his eyes, "You're not being mean, you're being me. We really need to get this emotion thing under control. I don't think either of us knows who we are anymore." He let her go and moved the blanket aside for her to exit.

When they were both clear of the blankets, he picked up her backpack and led her to the door.

The young boy slowly made his way up to the small hut. He was determined to keep a respectable distance from the doorway. If the couple inside were engaged in any sort of private moment, well…he did not want to be the one to disturb them. For this reason, he was always careful to say several feet from the little porch. After clearing his throat he called out, "Houshi-sama…bikuni-sama!"

Sango was the one how had heard the young boy calling out. Instinctively, she raised her hand to rub her sleepy eyes. Miroku's head rested on her breasts, which was his favorite position to sleep in.

"Miroku, Jun is outside," she said as she tried to pry him loose. The action only made him press his face farther into her chest. "We'll need to answer him, you know."

"Houshi-sama…bikuni-sama?"

"Ok…ok, I'm up," he grumbled as he rolled out of her arms and onto his back. He rubbed at his face and stretched his body.

"Will you stop stalling and answer him!" She laughed as she poked at his side.

"You answer him," he teased as he placed his hands behind his head and waited for her to protest.

"Why you," she giggled as climbed on top of him and began tickling. "I'll teach you to disobey me!"

The small boy heard all the laughing and rolled his eyes. At least he knew they were awake. "Houshi-sama, will you and bikuni-sama be teaching us today?"

"Stop, stop…I have…to…breathe!" Miroku gasped.

Sango stopped tickling him, but stayed where she was. She smiled down at him as he tried to catch his breath.

He was still fighting the urge to laugh when he answered the boy, "Yes, Jun. We'll be teaching today. Give us time to get ready."

The boy was very happy to hear the news, "Arigatoo gozaimasu! I'll tell everyone to get ready."

"I wish people would stop calling me bikuni-sama. They've never done it before," she mumbled as she rubbed his chest.

"You don't like it? I think it suits you."

"I don't believe in Buddha. How can I be one of his disciples?" She protested.

"Maybe you should try," he looked into her eyes. She seemed so sad that he reached up and touched her face. "Besides, you are my wife. I'm sure they are only assuming that we would share the same faith."

"Does it bother you that I don't share you faith?" She asked as she moved his hands to her breasts.

The gesture raised his eyebrows. He looked into her face and answered calmly, "I love how you try to change the subject, and keep me amused at the same time. Honestly, Sango, I want you to be happy. Whatever pleases you pleases me." He set up and traced her throat with his lips. His hair tickled her skin as he made his way down her chest. She let out a sigh as his lips closed on her nipple.

She ran her fingers into his hair as she spoke, "I love how you know exactly what to say."

Inu Yasha stood in the shrine with wide eyes. He had no idea what he was doing there. One moment he was horsing around with Souta, the next he was being forced to change clothes.

"Why am I in this strange get-up?" Inu Yasha asked as Grandpa whizzed by him.

"You are my grandson, aren't you?"

"I guess so. What does that have to do with me being in this thing?" He shrugged and pulled at the white top.

"It's your duty to take over as priest when I die. It's time to start your training," Grandpa answered and slapped him on the back.

"What about these?" Inu Yasha asked with a cynical edge to his voice, while pointing at his ears.

Grandpa grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the inner shrine. "Don't worry about that now. You have too much to learn."

It had taken Kagome two hours to get to school. She still was not used to the long trip. Her middle school had been much closer to home. '_I feel exhausted! I guess the long trip is a small price to pay for all the freedom of this school. I really shouldn't complain.'_ She thought as she made her way through the crowed halls. It was a private school that had done away with the uniforms. She would still be able to fallow her class schedule, so she could limit coming when she needed too. However, she would have to get up incredibly early to get to the school when she did go.

Going to a private high school did give her an added sense of achievement. It was good to know that Mama and Grandpa believed in her that much, but she was afraid of letting them down. As things were, Grandpa was happy that she wanted to learn more about being a miko. He was also dying to get his hands on Inu Yasha for training, which she had not warned him about on purpose. She knew that he would only get frustrated and nervous about it anyway. Mama was happy that she was going to continue with school. Together they chose to send her to the private school so she could have more freedom in her studies. Otherwise, she would have had to choose between school and Inu Yasha. She was amazed at how understanding, and how supporting, they were. Most families would have been horrified at seeing Inu Yasha.

She was busy making her way up the stairs to the second floor, when a strange thought came into her mind. '_I never did get that. Why're they so understanding about this? Inu Yasha is half youkai. I married a youkai. Wouldn't that freak most families?'_

"Kagome!" Ayumi yelled, while waving her hand high in the air.

Erri grabbed Ayumi's arm while Yuka's hand flew over the girl's mouth. Ayumi was in a daze when she finally managed to break free of their death grips. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Kagome, who couldn't help but notice, stopped in mid step. She had no doubt that this was going to be a very bad day. She suddenly wanted to be anywhere else but that hallway. Despite her desire to run way, she slowly began walking towards them. She greeted them with a smile and laugher in her voice, "Ohayoo!"

Erri and Yuka nervously looked around to see who was watching them. Ayumi stood looking at Kagome. She was still in a daze from what had just happened.

Erri finally spoke up, "Kagome, maybe you should lay low for a bit. You know, try not to be so bouncy."

"What are you talking about? Why should I do that?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Ayumi questioned.

When Erri looked around again to see who was watching, Kagome decided it was time to stop dancing around the problem. She took deep breath let the question fly out of her mouth, "Are you shamed to be seen with me for some reason?"

Yuka spoke up for the first time, "Why wouldn't we be? I mean, after that freak show of a wedding. How can you expect us to act like everything if fine?"

"There was nothing wrong with my wedding," Kagome's anger was coming out in her voice.

"Really, Kagome, you could have had something private if you were not going to fallow some tradition. I mean, come on…it was total chaos. You should hear some of the stuff our classmates are saying." Erri informed her.

"We are just saying. Why did you go through all the trouble to get into a good school and do something like that? Your reputation is shot. The only thing that could make it worse is for you to be barefoot and pregnant."

Kagome held it all in and said nothing. She pushed the emotion down. Doing this, she knew that Inu Yasha would be getting it all. She had no choice but to use him this way. It was only thing that was keeping her chin up and her eyes clear. She was not going to let them see her cry. Not now, not ever! For years they had both been trying to make her leave the only man she loved. This was her finally statement about her feelings on the subject, and she was going to make that statement with pride.

Ayumi stayed where she was as the other girls started to walk way. They turned back and tried to get her to follow them, but she refused to move. The girls looked at each other and turned to leave her with Kagome.

"Ayumi, what are you doing? They'll shun you too," Kagome warned her.

Ayumi smiled and responded, "I know, but I don't care."

Kagome was amazed. "Are you sure?"

"I got into this school because of my grades. They got in because of money. I wanted to come here to learn, not be become popular. I guess I am more like you."

Kagome couldn't help herself, she had to hug Ayumi.

Ayumi laughed as she waited for Kagome to release her. With that same laughter in her voice she remarked, "We've always been friends, Kagome. I don't think that should end just because you married a youkai."

Kagome's eyes went wide. "What? How…?"

"I have a way of knowing these things," she shrugged her shoulders as she talked, "My grandma says I have psychic abilities."

"Have you always known?" Kagome asked as she released her.

"After I met him, yeah," she said gleefully. "I don't think that Miroku is his brother either. Am I right about that?"

"Yeah, but they seem like bothers sometimes." Kagome turned to walk towards the classroom.

"Does he have a brother I could meet?" Ayumi asked eagerly.

"He's not your type," she said with a nervous giggle.

Miroku dipped the brush into the ink and applied it to the small rectangle of paper. Several of the villagers sat in a half circle around him. There was a light breeze blowing through the tree that was giving shade to the group. He tried to keep each lesson short. The meaning of the magical seals would not be much to remember, nor would the kanji on them. However, the Buddhist philosophy would be another matter. He knew that the villagers were capable of understanding. The biggest obstacle would be overcoming the philosophy they already had. He was counting on this group of apprentices. They would take what they had learned home to teach it to those who worked in the fields.

He watched in silence as his students worked with their brushes. Watching them gave him a sense of pride that he had never known before. For the first time in his life, he honestly felt like the Buddhist priest that he claimed to be.

He looked over at Sango, who was training with several of the men. She was turning them into fighters. He had to feel sorry for them. A workout with Sango guarantied that someone was walking away in pain. She was just as strong as any man. The fact that she carried the boomerang bone was proof of that. The weight of it was enough to give him trouble, but she could carry it with ease.

'_Damn, what a woman,'_ he marveled as she watched her kicking and whirling about. '_You're more woman than any of us deserves. How can you be so tough and feminine at the same time?'_

"Houshi-sama, should we practice the next seal now?"

"um…oh, yes," Miroku replied and went to work on the next paper.

After finishing the seal, he forced himself to focus on giving the explanation of its use and meaning. It was a difficult task, because his body wanted to pay attention to Sango's amazing physical abilities.

Even when fighting, Sango could feel it when Miroku's eyes were on her. The knowledge that he was watching made her a tougher opponent to beat. She was not worried about disappointing him, because she knew that he would be enjoying the show. She could always tell by how much he was enjoying her by counting how many time Jun had to request his attention. On most days, she had to worry more about finding the safety point for the men. Miroku always seemed to be amused with whatever she did with her body.

Several of the men charged her at once, but they couldn't get anywhere near her. The boomerang bone was instantly swung into their path. Two more men had tried to come up behind her. They found themselves colliding with her feet as whirled around to meet them.

Giving Miroku a good show was not the only reason Sango wanted to train the men. There were actually several reasons. First, the villagers were giving them both wages for their teachings. With the supplies that she and Miroku were receiving as payment, Kagome and Inu Yasha would have less to worry about too. There was more than enough to share. Next, there was the fact that it helped her pass the time. With Kagome and Inu Yasha being gone so long, they had not bothered to look for Naraku. She had been fine waiting and enjoying her time with Miroku, but she needed to feel like she was still doing something to honor her family. Her final reason was to rebuild what her family had lost. She was all that was left. As far as she knew, Kohaku was lost forever. Inu Yasha had hope of reviving him, but she could not afford that hope. Someone had to keep alive the work that her fellow villagers had lived and died for.

With everyone focused on their new project, Miroku's eyes could return to their favorite vision. The training had stopped and several of the men were lying on the ground. '_I knew that was coming,' _He chuckled silently.

"Well, that is it for the day," he announced and climbed to his feet. He waited as they picked up their things and thanked him. However, his attention never strayed from Sango.

The men were gathering themselves and leaving. He watched her smile and wave as they left, but the moment they turned their backs that smile was gone. Something about her expression seemed terribly lonely to him. He was far too familiar with that expression. He knew she was thinking about her family. '_You need this don't you, Sango?'_ He thought as he waited for her to turn around. He wanted to run to her. He wanted to pull her out of darkness she kept falling into, but he knew she would not let him. She would be this way until she had a reason to forget the past. '_This is your way of regaining what you've lost. If we are both strong and patient, we will continue your_ _heritage here. Maybe then you'll be at peace.'_


	5. The Games that Kitsunes Play

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 5

Games that Kitsune Play

Shippo stood alone beside the small creek that ran along the village's edge. He stared intently into the water. "I'm going to do it this time!" he exclaimed in an attempt to cheer himself on.

He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He tried to picture himself as a young boy with straight black hair. The boy's body would be several feet taller than his own. The clothes were just like the ones that Shippo was already wearing. He tried to focus all his senses until the world around him disappeared. He wanted that image in his mind to be the only reality. He did this until he believed that he was that boy standing beside the creek.

He knew his body had changed. He could feel its new height. He slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the water.

"No, no, no," he chanted angrily while Kagome's eyes looked back at him. "Why do I always turn into Kagome?" He turned to check his rear end. "And I still have a tail!"

Shippo's shoulders slumped and the illusion was over. He was back to his old self, and kicking at the ground with his foot because of it.

'_It wouldn't be so bad if I could at least hide the tail. At least then I would be able to say that I could take one human form, but I can't even do that one right.' _

"Shippo-kun? Are you alright, Shippo-kun?"

He instantly recognized the soft voice as belonging to one of the young girls from the village. Nishi was her name. Suddenly his failure didn't seem to matter to him as much. His back had automatically straightened up, and his eyes were beginning to sparkle. The girl was wearing a bright yellow kimono, and her hair was hidden by cloth made of the same material. She was as tall as Kagome, with a slender body. She might have looked fragile to some, but her work in the fields had insured that her limbs were not as delicate as they seemed.

He put his hands behind his back and turned to smile at the girl. The smile was goofy enough to make her giggle. "Konnichwa, Nishi-chan," she said eagerly.

"What are you doing? Don't be mad at me, but I've been watching you from the trees. Are you trying to play a joke on Inu Yasha-sama?"

'_She's been watching me!'_ His mind screamed as his cheeks went up in flames. The best he could manage was a nervous giggle in response.

Nishi looked down at her feet with a matched case of nerves. She didn't want to hurt his feeling. "Don't be upset. I was only hoping to talk to you. When I got to the trees I saw you, and I didn't want to interrupt."

"Oh, it's ok. I don't mind you watching me, Nishi." Shippo said without looking up. His small feet where once again kicking at the dirt. Only this time it had nothing to do with disappointment. He was too happy with the thought that she had wanted to talk to him.

"So, were you trying to take human from?"

Shippo hadn't been ready for such a blunt question. All he could manage was to stutter the words, "H...how…how do you…?"

"Well, it was sort of obvious. And my father swears that my great grandpa was part kitsune!" She replied merrily as she plopped down on her knees in front of him. "It happens a lot you know…kitsune mating with humans. My father is always telling some story about kitsune tricking the villagers in other villages. He says that a kitsune will take on a woman's form to seduce some villager into mating."

"Woman's form?"

"Yeah, I guess it is easier or something. Hey, that might be why you are having trouble. You might be trying to take on the wrong from."

"But I like girls," Shippo blushed the moment he said it.

"That's good to know," she said with a smile, while looking down at her hands.

Shippo couldn't say a word. He could only smile at the ground. His tail was twitching slightly as his heart tried to pound its way out of his chest.

Everything around them was quite until Nishi let out a small trickle of laughter.

"What? What is so funny?" Shippo inquired.

"You're twitching your tail. That is supposed to mean that you are trying to put me under your spell."

"I wasn't, I promise," Shippo blurted out in a half panic.

"I know. I just thought it was cute," said as she tried to calm herself. "I probably know more about kitsune than you do."

"Oh yeah? Prove it." He said it half serious, and half jokingly.

"Well, Kitsune can't feed properly until they can take on full human form. Until they can feed they can't grow in power." She paused for a moment to think.

"I didn't know that…" he confessed in a whisper.

"Oh, and you can tell a kitsune's power, age, and ranking by the number of tails they have. You have one tail, so you have to be under a hundred years old."

Shippo could only look at her for a long moment. Finally he asked, "I'm that old?"

"Shippo-kun, you didn't know how old you were?" She asked in amazement.

He shook his head as she looked down at him. Suddenly, her checks were bright red. It seemed like she wanted to ask a question, but she couldn't get the words out.

"What is it, what is wrong?" He moved in closer to her and placed his hands on hers, which were now resting on her lap.

"That is why you are so small. You really don't know. All this time I thought you knew. I mean, I heard that you used to sleep in Kagome's arms before she became Inu Yasha-sama's woman."

"Nishi, what don't I know?"

"You don't know how a kitsune feeds? You have never tried to increase you power have you, Shippo-kun?"

"No, I never needed to. My father always protected me. When he died, I found Inu Yasha and Kagome."

"A kitsune feeds while mating. They seduce a human and feed off the…energy of mating," she informed him with one hand practically covering her mouth.

Shippo stumbled backwards and fell flat on his butt. Suddenly, every comment that Inu Yasha had made about his sleeping next to Kagome made sense. "That is why Inu Yasha teased me in the beginning."

"That's way you can't hold human from. You need to feed in some way to gain power."

"How am I supposed to do that?" He raised his arms just to let them drop down to his sides again. He turned to look at himself in the water. "I look like a kid, so I'm a kid. How am I supposed to find a mate when I look like a child?'

Nishi looked down at the ground and began to draw circles with her finger as she spoke, "I know you're not a kid. I look young too, but I'm old enough to marry if I want too. I would be willing to kiss you…maybe…if you wanted too."

Shippo whirled around and looked at her with wide eyes. He couldn't trust his ears. He had seen Nishi in the village for years, but he had not really gotten to know her until the last few months. He only started talking to her after Sango went to stay with Miroku. He would come to the river to sit with Kirara and Nishi would just show up. He had wanted to tell her that she was really sweet and pretty, but he could never get the nerve to do it. Now, she was telling him that he could kiss her. It was too good to be true.

'_What do I do?' _The question streamed through his mind like words on a marquee. He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked over to her. He sat down in front of her, and looked up into her face. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, we could hold hands. It would be a start," she said shyly. Her finger continued making circles in the sand as she waited for him to act.

He nervously reached for the hand that rested on her lap. Both he and Nishi struggled to avoid the other's eyes.

In a very hushed voice, Nishi asked, "You really didn't feed from Kagome?"

He shook his head as he answered her, "I didn't. Kagome and Inu Yasha are my family. I was so sad after my dad was killed, so Kagome took care of me."

Nishi stopped making circles so she could place her hand on top of Shippo's. She gently began rubbing at the small hand that rested in hers. Her hands were very soft and warm.

"That feels nice," he admitted. He had to swallow the lump again.

She was so embarrassed that she couldn't manage more than a whisper when she talked. "Try to feel the energy coming from my hand. I think you should be able to take it, if you can feel it."

"Are you sure, Nishi?"

She nodded, "I think so."

He closed his eyes and tried to feel something other than body warmth. He knew what sort of energy she was talking about. He could feel something similar to it when he was around other youkai. He also knew what Kagome's power felt like. He let himself reach into her with his own power when he couldn't find energy by touch alone. He opened one eye to peek at Nishi, who was setting there with her eyes closed to. His youkai power didn't seem to be harming her in the slightest, so he allowed himself to use a bit more to aid his search. The difference in power was all he had needed to discover a hot well of energy that had been balled up inside of her. He pulled at that energy with his own.

It was a wonderful feeling as her energy filled him up. He had not realized how hungry he had been. He wanted more. Without hesitation he pushed more of his power into her until he found what he wanted. He was in a state of bliss as the heat washed over his body.

Nishi's mouth was open and she was panting. The sensation was becoming too much for her to take. I was not unpleasant, but it was too much sensation all at once. It felt like he was in her head, as well as her body. She thought that she had been ready for this, but she had had no idea that it would feel this intense. It was far too intimate of a thing. She had known that kitsune's feed as they mated, but she hadn't understood why until now.

"aaah…Shippo!" She cried out.

His eyes shot open to find his cheek pressed into her palm. He let her go and tried to look around. He had heard something and the rush of heat had stopped. The power was still pounding in his chest. It was keeping time with his heartbeat. The world was incredibly bright as he tried to focus his eyes on her.

Her body slumped to one side. She had just managed to catch herself by putting her hands on the ground. Her arms were very weak and wobbly. All she wanted was to lie still in the grass that was only a few feet way.

She had managed to straighten herself by the time he regained control over his senses. He felt ashamed when he saw the look on her face. She looked so different from the girl he had been talking to only moments ago. She was flushed and she looked like she was barely able to sit up on her own.

"Nishi, are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He asked. He reached out to touch her hand, which caused her to jump. There had been a small exchange of energy between his hand and hers at that moment that had caused her to wrap her arms around herself.

"I'm alright. I just need to rest. I want to lie down on the grass. Promise you will not leave me if I lay down."

He still felt ashamed. It did not matter if she said that she was ok. He still felt as if he had hurt her, or had taken something that he should not have. "Are you sure you want me to stay?" He asked without looking way from her.

"Yes, just don't take any more from me right now. I don't think it would be good." She answered as she began to crawl way from him.

"Can I help you get to the grass?"

"If you can touch me without feeding."

He was afraid to try, so he watched as she struggled to find the spot she liked. When she was finally still in the grass, he began to walk towards her. When doing so, he noticed that his clothes felt odd. It was like they were too small for him. He decided to return to the water to have a look at himself before joining her. When he looked into the water, he was amazed that he had grown several inches. His stomach was sticking out and his sleeves were too short, as well as his pants.

"Nishi, it worked. I grew!" He chuckled.

She managed a smile as she looked up into the sky, "I'm happy it worked."


	6. New Paths

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 6

New Paths

It seemed strange that he should feel so odd in his own clothes, but Shippo couldn't get over the feeling. His body had changed just enough to make him uncomfortable, and his mind was struggling to accept the changes.

"You're having a hard time with it, aren't you?" Nishi asked. She was very weak, which could be heard in her voice. She was lying in the grass next to him. She was comfortable resting there on her side with her eyes half open. "I am sorry that your illusion was broken. Papa told me that kitsune can't handle it when their magic is exposed. It hurts their notion of reality."

He looked at her in confusion. "I don't understand."

"You're not a child, Shippo. You have let everyone believe that you are a helpless child for so long that you finally believed your own lie. You created an illusion of who you were. Now that you have been confronted by the truth, your illusion is breaking apart."

"Who are you? How do you know all this stuff about me?"

She tried her best to sit up, but failed. She settled for propping herself up on one arm to get closer to his face. "You already know my name. I'm not lying. I've been told all my life that kitsune blood runs in my veins. I know all about you because I know about kitsune."

"You are doing this because I'm a kitsune, not because you like me?" The notion hurt him deeply.

"No, Shippo…" she said. She made the mistake of moving to quickly and fell backwards before she could say more.

"Nishi!" Shippo cried out and scampered closer to her face.

"I'm alright. I really should just lie still as we talk," she suggested while her hand searched for his. "I really do think you're cute. I think you're really sweet too. It's more like, I'm not afraid to be with a kitsune. I understand what you are, and it adds to who you are."

Her words made him smile, but he was worried about how weak she was. Her face was so pale. He wondered if he should go for help, or try to help her move.

"Should I get help?" He asked hesitantly.

"No, I'll get my strength back soon. I'm sorry; I wasn't ready for what happened. I shouldn't have told you that I was."

He was ashamed to admit it, but he had to tell her the truth. "I think I remember finding the well of energy inside of you, but I don't remember what I was doing when I was searching for it. I didn't do anything that you didn't want me to do, did I?"

"No. You were only rubbing your check against my hand. But…it felt like…more than that," she trailed off as she turned her eyes way from him. "It felt like you were…" She couldn't finish her words. She just couldn't get herself to say it. "I didn't try to stop you. I didn't really want you to stop. I just didn't know what to do."

He looked at her in silence as she looked back at him. He had no idea what to do now. Something was set into motion, and there was no going back. He could not go back to the illusion. She was right; it was crumbling all round him. If he could find the nerve to continue on this path, she would be the one whom he would pick to be his mate. He would not dare to try it with anyone else. She had stumble into it without fully understanding, and he didn't need someone else doing the same thing.

Inu Yasha followed Grandpa as they entered the heart of the shrine. He had spent the majority of the morning listening to the old man ramble on and on about strange gods that he knew nothing about. Finally, after being doused with water, he was being lead in to a place where he had absolutely no desire to enter.

"Why am I here again?" Inu Yasha asked. He was irritated and he didn't feel like hiding it. He was fighting the strange hat that he was wearing. It was tall and slender, which made it top heavy. "I'm getting sick of hats," she grumbled.

"This is where the kami dwell. You will be expected to learn how to care for the sanctuary and the kami that is housed here," he explained as he pointed to the alter before them. There sat a circular mirror that was surrounded with flowers and incense. "We make sure that the kami is worshiped properly. We offer prayers for those who come to ask for the kami's guidance."

He immediately thought of Kana when he saw the mirror. Kana was one of Naraku's detachments, who could capture a person's soul with the tiny mirror that she carried. She had used that mirror once in an attempt to steal Kagome's soul. She had used the same mirror to reflect the kaze no kizu back at him.

"Why does it have to be a mirror?" Inu Yasha whispered while shaking his head.

"They reflect the light and nature of the kami," Grandpa replied with admiration.

"You think that I can do this?" Inu Yasha gave him an exasperated look.

"You're now the oldest son of this family. Souta may not be ready to take over when I'm ready to die. You're the right age, and you do know a thing or two about fighting evil. The way you do it is only one of many ways. You are also married to one of the only two mikos that this shrine has. It'll be up to you and Kagome to keep this family, and shrine, going until Souta is ready for a family."

Inu Yasha swallowed hard. He didn't like where this was going. He was being put into a position where he couldn't say no. He didn't understand any of it, let alone believe it. He couldn't believe that Grandpa had honestly expected him be anyone's replacement.

"Well, I guess you have had enough for the day. Kagome and Souta will be home soon anyway. Let's go change and relax before dinner." Grandpa said while directing Inu Yasha to turn and exit from where they had entered.

The sun was low in the sky by the time Nishi was ready to attempt the journey home. Shippo was still in a daze as they walked. Neither of them seemed to mind that the other was silent, because talk seemed to be the farthest thing from both of their minds. Nishi was still very tired and struggling to keep on her feet; while Shippo was still adjusting to the changes to his body.

Shippo was amazed at how his new height had affected the way things looked. He was seeing the world from a new perspective, and it was startling. He was still only half as tall as Nishi, but he had been used to a seeing the world from a third of this height. He had to make her stop, so that he could bend down to look at the flowers as they walked. This was definitely a first for him.

Her family's hut was just in view when he had discovered that his clothes were no longer too small for his body. He had been too busy examining everything from this new perspective to notice that his clothes had changed to fit him. He nearly knocked her off balance when he stopped walking.

"Nishi, my clothes…" his voice stopped suddenly as his eyes went wide.

As quickly as she could manage, she dropped to her knees in front of him, "Shippo, it's alright. Don't panic. Your clothes are part of your illusion. It's normal for them to change when you change form." He seemed to be looking right through her as she spoke. In desperation she tried shaking him as she called out, "Shippo!"

"I understand. That's right, I can do this. I forgot that this is how it works."

"You've done this before then? I thought you had no clue?" He asked as a puzzled look covered her face.

"Before my dad changed to full fox form. He was the one who could change his clothes to match his form. I saw him do it," he paused to look at her before continuing, "Nishi, I think that I can take human form now. I just need to figure out how to control this."

"Well, that should be easy. You just have to decide on the illusion you want to create."

"Are you sure?" He asked. He seemed to doubt this idea a great deal.

"I think so. I could ask Papa to tell me more of the legends, but I think that is all it takes."

Shippo looked at the sun, which was all but lost behind the horizon. "We need to get you home."

"I wish Shippo has told someone where he was going," Kagome stated as she took a quick peek out of the doorway of her hut before returning to her seat next to Inu Yasha.

"Feh, he's probably collecting acorns or something like that. If he doesn't show up soon, I'll go look for him," Inu Yasha assured her.

"First Kirara, now Shippo. What is going on?" Miroku mumbled. He was setting next to the fire with Sango.

"We've been to busy with ourselves too notice them. I am sure it has to be terrible for them," Sango said as she looked into the fire.

"Sango-chan, there has to be a better reason then that." Kagome said.

"Inu Yasha!" Shippo shouted across the village.

"That sounded like Shippo!" Kagome said with panic in her voice.

"What the...?" Inu Yasha muttered as he looked towards the doorway, "That sounded too far way to be a good thing."

Inu Yasha and Miroku were already on their feet before the girls could suggest that they check it out. The moment they hit the steps, Miroku and Inu Yasha, could understand why Shippo was calling out. Nishi's father had him by the tail, and Nishi was on the grown crying. Her mother and younger sister were trying to help her to her feet.

"Leave her be! She is worthless to us now," her older bother ordered. "Once under a kitsune's spell, it is too late!"

The women let her go, but Nishi kept trying to stand on her own.

"Stop, leave her alone!" Shippo growled and scratched at the air.

"If you don't want to deal with me, you should put him down," Inu Yasha roared as he sped towards the men.

Miroku was right at his side, and grab his arm before the he could act against the villagers. "Not yet, Inu Yasha," Miroku cautioned as they came to a halt a few feet from the men. Knowing that the girls were not far behind, Miroku called out to Sango, "Sango, stay back."

Both of the girls stopped and turned back towards the hut.

"Shido-san, why are you doing this?" Miroku asked, returning his full attention to the man that was holding Shippo.

"Your little friend has dishonored my daughter," he stated with anger in his voice.

Shock flew over both Inu Yasha's and Miroku's faces as they looked at Shippo with wide eyes.

"I didn't, I swear!" Shippo pleaded, waving his hands franticly.

"Papa, we didn't do anything wrong. I'm telling you the truth," Nishi tried to reason with the man. "Don't hurt him because of me," she demanded through her tears.

"Shut up, you piece of trash! How dare you question his actions after what you have done to this family," her bother growled through clinched teeth just before striking her across the face. The blow forced her back to the ground.

"Gigen!" The older man yelled. "That is enough. I want you to go inside, and take your younger sisters and mother with you. Nishi, come with me."

The young man sneered at Shippo, but he did as he had been told. When the boy was gone Nishi climbed to her feet again. When Shido-san released Shippo, the little kitsune rushed to her side.

The realization that Shippo was taller had hit both Miroku and Inu Yasha at the same time. It took several moments before they knew what to say. Finally, they looked at each other to verify that they both were seeing the same thing.

Still looking at Miroku, Inu Yasha asked, "Shippo, have you gotten taller since this morning?"

Shippo cringed and gave a fake giggle, "Hehehe…well, I guess I have."

"Of course he's taller, he was well fed. Kitsune gain power when they feed, and I believe this one has had his fill of my daughter today," the man said with resentment in his voice.

"I don't get it," Inu Yasha shrugged.

"Inu Yasha, do you know how kitsune feed?" Miroku asked slowly, giving his words emphasis.

"Well," he and stopped to think, "don't they feed when they ma…" Inu Yasha's jaw dropped. His ears were twitching like mad. Suddenly his eyes narrowed, and he turned to look at Shippo. "You said you were still a kid!" He barked.

"I am!"

"No your not, Shippo," Nishi insisted.

"Fine! But why does everyone but me know how kitsune feed!" Shippo whined.

"What do I do about my daughter? She was promised to the son of the village chief. He'll not take her now."

"You already have a boyfriend?" Shippo asked with his heart in his throat.

"No, he is not my boyfriend. I like you, Shippo," she insisted. Then without missing a beat, she looked at her father and said, "Papa, he only took a little bit of energy from me. I'm still a virgin! How can I be under his spell, when I'm still a virgin?"

That was more information than either Miroku or Inu Yasha wanted to know. If this kept up, Inu Yasha's head was going to explode. Meanwhile, the thought of Shippo having sex, was more than enough to make Miroku's eye twitch. This really was not going to be a pleasant topic for either of them.

Inu Yasha hit Miroku's shoulder, "Say something."

"You're the one who took responsibility for him, you say something."

"You're the pervert. He probably got this idea from your influence," Inu Yasha mumbled, looking over at Miroku with narrowed eyes.

Miroku, who was putting his hand over his eye to stop the twitching, was left without words for the moment.

Shippo buried his face in his hands and thought to himself, '_I'm so doomed!'_

Nishi's mother was suddenly rushing towards them. "You are not going to talk about this without me." She insisted.

"I can handle this Ryoko. You don't have to get involved." Shido pleaded.

"Your son seems to be forgetting who the head of the family is. You should remind him that the position is not his yet," she scolded before she put her arms around Nishi's shoulders. "I am not leaving my oldest daughter's fate to a bunch of angry men."

Shido-san returned his attention to Miroku and Inu Yasha. Miroku was still struggling with his eye. Inu Yasha stood perfectly still. The look on his face was absolute confusion. He honestly didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry.

"What are they doing?" Sango asked from her seat on the small porch.

"I don't know, but if something doesn't change soon I might pass out," Kagome mumbled.

"Do you feel his emotions that much?" Sango whispered in disbelief. She hadn't meant to say the thought aloud. It was a careless slip that was making her more embarrassed by the second.

"I feel it that much. I feel it so much that I don't have emotions anymore," she paused to look at Sango before continuing, "We have emotions. And it is so terrifying, Sango."

"Kagome-chan," Sango said as she reached out to hug her friend.

Kagome was grateful for the hug. She needed to know that she could count on Sango. It felt good to know that Ayumi wasn't the only friend who was trying to understand her life. '_As long as I have Sango and Ayumi, I'll be fine,'_ she cried to herself.


	7. Oh Brother

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 7

Oh Brother

Reminder - Ryoko is Nishi's mother. Shido is Nishi's father. Gigen is Nishi's pushy bother.

Doomo- is a very familiar way of saying thanks. You would use this for family and really really close friends.

Let me also apologized for my poor spelling. I don't have anyone who can proof read this story for me. I let my husband read it, but that is no help at all. I do realize that it can be quite distracting. I am trying to pay closer attention, but I find that it takes me several reads to find all of my mistakes. I really don't have that sort of time. I do hope you can over look this. I would rather get the story posted, so you don't have to wait forever, rather than take the extra time worrying about the spelling. If you do find a mistake, **please**, let me know **where you find it** in the story. I can go back to correct it at a later time. Arigatoo gozaimasu!

The argument had been moved to Miroku and Sango's hut. It seemed to be the largest amount of space, and the least threatening of choices. Kagome couldn't take her eyes off Shippo as she sat listening to the conversation that Inu Yasha and Miroku were having with Shido. Sango, who was sitting next to her, was trying not to look at the kitsune at all. Instead, she was busy trying to ignore that he was suddenly taller. As for the other females in the hut, Ryoko had her hands full trying to keep Nishi quite.

"That's it!" Inu Yasha snapped, climbing to his feet. He had had enough of the talking in circles. "Shippo, outside with me."

"What will this accomplish?" Shido asked in confusion.

"I want to talk to Shippo…that's what it'll accomplish," he answered and headed for the door. "Now, Shippo!"

Shippo hopped up and ran after Inu Yasha as if his life depended on it. Inu Yasha was already several yards way from the hut by the time Shippo made it out. There were no words to describe the anger that Inu Yasha was now feeling. Feeling Kagome's shock was only adding to it, and he was sure that his anger was making her more confused. He wanted this over so that he could spend time with his wife, and to get some rest.

Shippo came to a stop about 3 feet behind Inu Yasha. He stood there without a peep. He knew that Inu Yasha was mad, and he was not going to say anything that might get him in more hot water. He was startled when Inu Yasha turned to face him without saying a word. The look on his face was enough to make Shippo's chin hit the ground. Inu Yasha's face was completely blank. If Shippo hadn't known better, he would've thought that Inu Yasha wasn't angry at all. Somehow the lack of expression made Inu Yasha seem scarier than ever before. Shippo was never going to say it, but the blank face made Inu Yasha look just like Sesshoumaru.

Inu Yasha sat down in one quick fluid motion. It was more than enough to make Shippo jump.

"Stop acting like I'm going to beat the crap out of you and set down," he ordered.

Shippo nodded and set down.

"You're my bother, right?"

Shippo swallowed and nodded, "Yeah."

"So you would never lie to me?" Inu Yasha's voice held only a hint of concern.

"I would never lie you or Kagome, or to Sango or Miroku," he insisted.

"Tell me what you did. I want the details. Even if I would rather not know, I need to know them."

"All I did was rub my check against her hand." Shippo answered as he looked at the ground between them.

"That can't be all. You had to feed from her some how. How did you do it?" He pressed.

Shippo let out a nervous sigh and covered his face with his hands. His reply came out sounding muffled because of it, "When I couldn't feel power from her, I pushed my power into her. That is when I found something to feed on," Shippo stopped and took a deep breath before putting his hands down. He forced himself to look up at Inu Yasha as he finished, "I couldn't stop myself, but I didn't do anything else. I swear, Inu Yasha."

"Than you didn't do anything else, but you did enough," Inu Yasha said in a flat voice.

"I don't understand."

"Human and youkai is a complicated mix. I'm only half youkai, and things are crazy with me and Kagome. I can't imagine what you are going to do to Nishi. I don't remember enough of what my mother was like to understand the effect it had on her." He rubbed his eyes as he stopped to think about it. When he was finish rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the stars and said, "Be careful with her Shippo. If you don't love her, you should let her go. It's strange, but I've been thinking a lot about this. What if the youkai can spread to her enough that she becomes a hanyou? You could make her insane from the emotion, or the power, that you share. Or worse…if you don't love her and she is bound to you forever…you could destroy everything that she is."

"I didn't know that would happen. I just wanted to take on human form." Shippo explain.

"I get that, but you have to figure something out. You have to take responsibility for this. Like it or not, I think you just hit grown up status."

Shippo closed his eyes for a long moment then looked at Inu Yasha. With every bit of sincerity that he had, "Doomo, Inu Yasha."

As Kagome watched the door, Miroku tried to convince Nishi's parents that there was nothing that couldn't be taken care of with some firm resolve. He was, however, loosing the argument when Inu Yasha returned with Shippo at his heals.

"Finally," Shido complained. "I was beginning to think you helped him escape."

"He doesn't have any reason to escape. He fed unintentionally. And, no, they didn't…you know," Inu Yasha finished, rolling his eyes upwards.

"We have argued this to death. Even if she hasn't been violated, she will never be accepted by the chief's family. She's under the spell of a kitsune now." Shido said shaking his head back and forth.

"I don't want him. Why won't you accept that?" Nishi insisted, pushing her upper body forward. She was trying to escape her mother's arms.

"Nishi, calm down," Ryoko scolded and turn to face her husband. In the same angry voice she said, "We wouldn't have needed to worry about this if your hot headed son hadn't made a scene."

"Enough!" Inu Yasha yelled. His hand was once again rubbing his eyes. In a calmer voice he asked, "What will make you happy at this point?"

Shido was stunned, but recovered quickly with, "Well, it might be best if the kitsune were not in the village tomorrow afternoon. Nishi was supposed to meet the chief's wife for marriage plans. The farther the kitsune is from the village the better."

"His name is Shippo," Nishi hissed.

"Don't make this harder, Nishi. Maybe it would be better to do what your dad says," Shippo suggested.

"Shippo?" Nishi whispered and turned way from him. "I can't believe you said that. I won't spend my life with someone I don't care for."

Shippo began to walk towards her, but Inu Yasha's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Shocked, Shippo looked up and muttered, "Inu Yasha?"

"Shido, I think that Shippo and Nishi need to talk before he leaves the village," Inu Yasha said in a firm, yet calm voice. Shido was about to protest, but Inu Yasha cut him off before he could get the words out. "We'll all leave tomorrow, but tonight they talk. You get what you want and they talk. Take it or leave it."

"I think what he's asking is reasonable," Ryoko added as she touched her husbands arm. "Sex or not, they shared something very intimate today. We should let them speak."

"That is all the more reason to keep them separated! You want to leave them alone again?" Shido ranted.

"Let them say goodbye, or it will never be finished. The damage is already done. Let's try to salvage something of their feelings," Ryoko insisted. "Remember, it was your son's hot head that made this public to begin with. It was assumed to be innocent until he opened his mouth."

"Fine," he hissed, climbing to his feet. "But this is to be kept as quite as possible. If she is not in her bed by morning…I'll insist on his head."

"There'll be no need for that, Shido-san," Miroku assured him. "Shippo will be watched until Nishi is returned," Miroku continued, glancing at Inu Yasha with a smile that said he had no intention of watching Shippo that closely.

Inu Yasha pulled the large trunk into the center of the room as Kagome had requested. He handed her the corner of a blanket as she climbed onto the trunk. He was careful to hold her in place as she stretched to reach the hook in the ceiling's beam.

"He better appreciate this, or his is dead," Inu Yasha grumbled.

With the blanket in place, Kagome stepped down and said, "I think he will. It still does him no good when we travel. The tent would've been great for that."

"I think it will be us and Sango and Miroku who need the privacy when we travel. What would Shippo need privacy for?"

Kagome thought about it a second before answering, "Ok, you do have a point." She stood back to admire her handy work as she continued speaking, "What did you guys talk about. You felt so strange when you were out there."

"What do you mean? What felt 'strange'?" He asked, while taking her hand and leading her to the floor to sit.

"I expected you to feel angry. Instead, it was like you suddenly became all calm. At least, I'm sure that it was you that was so calm. I felt horrible until you walked out the door. But then you were outside and it all changed. What happened?"

Inu Yasha thought about it before he gave an answer. He did remember being calm. "I remember being mad when I left the hut, but when I walked out… I don't know. I guess I decided that I had to control that for Shippo's sake." He stopped and looked at Kagome. It was like something had finally clicked in his head. "If I try to control it, I can. I changed it all by realizing that I had to control it," he looked down and stared at the floor between them.

"No, it can't be that easy," she whispered. Then she remembered how she had pushed her emotions back earlier at school. She knew that she would give them all to Inu Yasha if she had wanted. "I can't believe that it is that simple."

"I guess we need to try harder to control it. Kagome, do we…" he stopped the thought. He was not sure if he wanted to admit it. It took her reaching out and tugging on is kimono to make him continue. Finally, he went on, "Do we want to control it?"

"Of course we do!" She answered in disbelief.

"What if I don't really want to? What if that is why we didn't figure it out sooner? I don't think I ever had a problem with feeling your emotions. I'm just afraid of what my youkai power is doing to you."

Kagome didn't know what to say. She had to admit that she didn't like that he could feel all that she felt. She was afraid of it. She knew it, and he would eventually figure that out. There was also the dept of his emotions. Inu Yasha didn't have mild emotions. He felt things with every part of his being, or he didn't feel them at all. It was too much for her sometimes.


	8. Brother's Keeper

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 8

Brother's Keeper

Nishi sat with her back leaning against the hut as Shippo paced back and forth before her. Inu Yasha had told them to talk outside. He told Shippo to be honest with Nishi about their future. The sad thing was, Shippo had no idea what to say about the future. He liked Nishi, but he didn't love her. His thoughts wouldn't come to an end about the matter.

The silence was too much for Nishi, she had to speak, "You could just tell me what you are thinking so hard about."

Her words were so hollow sounding that he stopped to look at her. She was not looking at him. She was looking at the ground. Her fingers were tracing circles in the dirt like earlier that day.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I should say."

"You could tell me that this afternoon meant something to you. You could tell me that you like me. I won't ask for love. Not yet, anyway."

He sat down beside her, and stopped her hand from making the circles. He held her hand as he spoke, "I didn't know that you liked me that much. You were always so quiet when you would show up at the creek. Why didn't you try to talk to me about your feelings before now?"

She couldn't look at him; instead, she stared at his hand on hers. "I was afraid you wouldn't like me. I guess the rush to get me married to the chief's son…made me panic. I wanted to tell you while I still had the chance to change things," she admitted. "Would it have made a difference? Would things be different now, if I had said something before?"

Shippo couldn't make himself look at her. He too was focusing on their hands. Her hand was so warm. His hand was smaller than hers, but it didn't stop him from weaving his fingers between hers. He took a deep breath and tried to explain, "I really don't know what I would've done. I really didn't plan on any of this happening."

"You never got your kiss. Would you like it now? I mean, before you think about it anymore."

His heart started to pound at the idea of kissing her. He could still taste the power from earlier, and the warmth from her hand was already tempting him. It wasn't a fair question by any means.

His voice was shaky, but he managed to speak despite his nerves. "Why would that make any difference to what my decision would be?"

"Maybe if you know how serious I am. Then you'd think twice about not picking me?"

"I never said that I wouldn't want to be with you. I just don't know what I would've done."

He looked up to see her looking at him with determined eyes. She was beautiful. She also knew what she wanted, even if he didn't. She wanted him, and it was a shock to him. He couldn't understand why she wanted him so much. He tried to say no, but he couldn't. Her hand was just too warm. The heat that surrounded her body had somehow become more noticeable to him. There was also some sweet smell that accompanied that heat. He had to close his eyes to keep from moving closer to her. In desperation he let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Nishi said. She hadn't expected him to move away from her. Most boys wouldn't have turned the offer down. She knew that for sure. She had had plenty of chances to kiss other boys, but she never wanted them. Shippo was what she was looking for. She had already decided that she would do what she had to do to make him hers.

He was careful to gather his thoughts before answering her. He finally decided that if he really wanted to kiss her, he didn't want to do it while he looked like a child. After giving a tiny nod, he stood and said, "You didn't upset me. I want to try something first. If I can take human form…then I'll kiss you. But I don't want to kiss you looking like this."

"It doesn't matter to me. I know you're not a kid," she insisted.

"But it does to me."

He closed his eyes and created an image in his head of a young man with black hair. His thought didn't stray far from his own appearance like they had earlier in the day. This young man would look like a human him. Not some nameless person he didn't know. He noticed, for the first time, that there was a fire within his chest. He told that fire to spread. It did until it was no longer in his chest, but covered his entire body. When it burned in his fingers and toes, it became cool. It was like the soft wind that danced against his skin.

He heard Nishi gasp, and his eyes opened. He was looking down at her. She was setting right were she had been when he started. He set down so fast that it made her jump. He reached out for her hand so he could check the size against his own. When he noticed that it was slightly bigger, he let himself smile.

"I did it? I really did it," he laughed. He didn't have to question it, he knew that he was the young man that he envisioned. Then it occurred to him to ask, "Nishi, do I have a tail?"

She placed her hands on his knees to brace herself as she look around him. The sudden closeness gave him the chance to feel her warmth again. He also discovered that her skin had been the true source of the sweet smell. He took a deep whiff of it before she moved way.

"You don't have a tail," she informed him with a smile. "You even gave yourself black hair." She reached up to touch it. "I think I like your real color better."

The moment after she said it, Shippo's hair changed. It made her gasp and backed up. His hand caught her upper arms before she could move too far away from him. His nose was almost touching hers when he whispered, "I know how to do it now, so I can change anything I want. Is there anything else you don't like?"

She couldn't speak, so she slowly shook her head.

He was suddenly starving. He had strong desire to press his check against hers, and rub it like he had her hand. Without warning he gave in. The moment his check touched hers, Nishi's body began to tremble.

"Why are you shaking, Nishi? You shouldn't be afraid."

The sound of his voice was amazing to her. If she had not known better, she would have sworn that he had purred the words. The sound of it made her body melt. Her pulse was racing, and she was fighting to breathe. Her eyes were half closed when she answered, "I don't know."

His check traveled down her neck. When his lips touched her collarbone, he became fascinated with the feel of them on her skin. The fascination lead him to parting his lips, so he would see what her skin felt like against his tongue.

To keep her body from falling out of his reach, Nishi grabbed handfuls of his shirt. She pulled at the shirt with each new area that his mouth explored.

He was tempted to open the top of her kimono, but fought against it. Instead he pulled at it just enough to move it out of his way. Energy poured from her skin like water from a fount. It had been much easier to get his fill this time. He managed to pull himself back from her, but only far enough that his cheek was resting against the side of her chin. He was trying to force himself to pull way from her completely when Nishi stopped him.

"Please, don't stop. I don't want you to stop," her words were full of breath as she pleaded with him.

He was still drunk on the power, so he let his instincts get the better of him. Had she not been so willing, he might have been able to resist. However, she was making it far too easy for him to continue. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to touch her now more than anything in the world. He wasn't sure how to go about it, but he was more than willing to try. Her lips were so close, and he could feel her breath against his ear. In a rush, he pressed his lips to hers and mimicked the kisses that he had planted on her neck.

Suddenly, it was more than a lust for the power. He was very aware of the feel of her body against his. It was more apparent that her breasts would rise and fall with each breath. He let his hands travel down her back until they discovered the curve of her behind. He traced it in a half circle on each side of her body; letting his hands come to a stop just below each cheek. They remained there, pressed flat against the back of her thighs, for only a moment. He forcefully pulled her forwards, which allowed his fingertips to enter between her thighs.

A moan escaped from Nishi as she broke from the kiss. Her body was shaking badly. She nearly ripped his shirt from gripping it to hard. She buried her face in his neck to hide her embarrassment.

"Am I hurting you, Nishi?" He asked as he tried to ease her backwards, so that he could look at her face. He was shocked by the sound of his own voice. It sounded thick and deeper then normal. He had never heard anything like it. He felt her turn her head from left to right, and he heard the mumble, "No." It had been enough to distract him from his thoughts. However, it was not enough to make him stop trying to look at her face. "Look at me if you don't want me to stop," he ordered.

She pulled back enough for him to see the darkness of her checks. There was very little light, but his eyes had no trouble seeing her modesty.

"Are you afraid of what is happening? I don't want to hurt you, Nishi."

"I'm not acting like this because I'm afraid," she informed him. She was still clinging to his shirt. "I don't want you to stop. I should, but I don't want you to."

His concern for her was enough to force him to return to reality. He move his hands up to support her back as he said, "You're getting weak again. I shouldn't have done this to you. I should take you home now."

"If you do that now, then my father will be furious again. Can't I stay with you a little longer?"

"Look what happens when we are alone. I can't control myself around you, Nishi. You are not safe with me," he tried to reason with her.

"I am safe with you. You're not hurting me. I like what you're doing," she insisted. Without warning her arms flew around his neck, and her check was pressed against his neck again. "I want you to…to be the first," she whispered. "I don't want him to touch me. I want you."

"I can't do this," he groaned, shaking his head as he pulled her arms away from his neck. With one hand around her waist, he forced her to her feet. Before she could try to protest, he had her off the ground and in his arms.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I am taking you someplace that I know you'll be safe."

"I can't go home like this."

"I'm not taking you home. I'm taking you to someone who will understand what we are going through," said as he began walking around to the front of the hut.

He tried to block out her pleas. She was determined to finish what had been started, but he was not going to let that happen. He knew that he could trust Inu Yasha to help him, and that was all he would allow his mind to comprehend. All other thoughts were considered too dangerous for him to entertain.

He could hear Kagome and Inu Yasha as he grew closer to the porch. He was about to interrupt something that sounded very emotional, but he really had little choice. '_I have to do this. I can't take her home, and I can't trust myself. She feels too good. She…'_ he shook off the thought for the sake of his own sanity. In desperation he called out, "Inu Yasha, I need your help. Can I come in?"


	9. Sleepless Night

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 9

Sleepless Night

Kisaki- means empress. Myouga adds sama to the end to show greater respect.

Kun- is a title that is used for boys. It is sort of like brother. Keep in mind these are general word equivalents. When the Empress uses it on Myouga, she is insulting him. He has offended her, and she is talking down to him. In Japan, to be called by a lesser title is a great insult(the same might be true if a title is not used too). This is largely due to the level of closeness in one on one relationships. The gang uses kun and chan because they are really close to each other. It is a term of endearment with them. They are also young. As you get older, you don't tend to use titles with close friends. That is not to say that it does not happen. Most of the time, people of the same rank don't use the titles for each other. The title is only used for those you are not familiar with, or those who are above you in rank. However, if someone you are not close to calls you a lesser title than san…you might be getting insulted. Make sure you know how they are using the titles, or you are going to get laughed at a lot. And for your own sake…don't use a title if you are not sure what it means! This could get you hit. Ask someone who might know, or ask the person how you might address them. You are not Japanese, so they will overlook it if you have a good question.

Warning: this info section contains spoilers! If you don't want to know here is the short version, **without spoilers**. Tenseiga and Toukijin- Swords owned by Sesshoumaru. Tenseiga can bring people back to life. Toukijin is a very powerful, very destructive sword. Now skip down until you see the row of . The chapter starts there.

Here are the longer explanations, **with spoilers**….

Tenseiga- the sword forged from the fang of Papa Inu(Inu Yasha and Sessy's dad. No, it is not his name!) This is the sword that Sesshoumaru uses to bring Rin back to life. It is also the sword that saved his life when he lost a battle to Inu Yasha and the Tetsusaiga. Where Inu Yasha's sword has the power to destroy 100 youkai at once, Tenseiga can restore hundreds of lives.

Toukijin- The sword that Sesshoumaru had forged from the fangs of one of Naraku's detachments. These fangs were strong enough to break the Tetsusaiga in half. The sword is very powerful and it is quite scary that Sesshoumaru can control it with great ease. It shows how powerful he actually is.

On a side note…You will not need this for this chapter, but it will come in handy. Inu Yasha wouldn't have survived the fight with this detachment, if it had not been for his youkai blood. This fight was the first time we got to see Inu Yasha transform. I forget the episode number, but if you ask I can find it. I think it is 45, or around there. Anyway, during this transformation Sessy smells the change in Inu Yasha's blood. It inspires him to investigate, and he learns that Inu Yasha is in danger if he continues to transform. Keep this in mind, because I will refer to it again later with greater detail.

_**Now to the story…**_

Sesshoumaru was lying on his back in the tall grass. With one leg bent at the knee and the other laid out straight, he was contently watching the night sky. He had removed his armor, as well as Toukijin and Tenseiga, and had laid them all in the grass beside him. His fur was tucked under his shoulders and head for cushioning, while his one good arm rested above his head. He was caught up in the rarest of his rare moods. He considered such moments to be too human in nature, and believe that giving in to them was a weakness in his character. However, tonight he couldn't resist it. The grass felt so soft and cool against his back. The sky was too clear. Something about the night air was too enticing. The day had been long and uneventful. He wanted to give in and enjoy the night.

Several yards way was a fire where both Rin and Jaken were sleeping. Jaken was fast asleep, but Sesshoumaru knew that Rin's night wasn't as peaceful. He had been listening to her for hours. She had awakened several times, only to cry herself back to sleep. He knew the nightmares would eventually send her running to him. He was actually lying there waiting for her. It would only be a matter of time. He would need to hold her as she slept, or she wouldn't get any rest at all. This was the pattern that had steadily developed over the years. At first, he had refused to humor her. However, as time went on, he found it harder to say no. Tears from her eyes were enough to make even his heart soften. The more time he allowed himself to be around her, the more he allowed himself to give into her whims.

He heard her mumble something in her sleep, which caused him to instantly turn his head towards the fire. When he had noticed that she was still sleeping, he returned his eyes to the stars. He was suddenly irritated with himself for being concerned. '_Why do I entertain her? I hold her while she sleeps, because she is frightened of a dream? How foolish,'_ he thought. He could hear her growing more restless. For the moment, she was only tossing and turning. '_Human emotion…I will never understand it,'_ he sighed. Her breath was growing more rapid by the second. The sound of it was distracting him from his irritation. He turned his head to look at her again, and thought, '_Why she is like this? Why do I care what she dreams about?'_ He had asked himself these questions so many times. He did want to know what she dreamt about, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Asking would mean that he was concerned about her. That, he couldn't deal with.

He heard the sharp intake of breath and knew that she was wake. He listened to the sound of her crying as he waited for her to move. Oddly enough, she was making no attempt to leave her spot next to the fire. It was unusual for her to fight her dreams this long. She was usually curled up in his fur after her second nightmare. When she had made no attempt to come to him, couldn't resist the impulse to sit up and looked towards the fire. His long silver hair rushed around his shoulders as he moved. He had to toss his head to the right in order to force it out of his face. His kimono had loosened when he had removed the armor. This left a large v-shaped neckline, which revealed a well developed chest.

She appeared to be looking around. He could sense her fear and panic. He was about to go to her when she stood and began to walk towards him. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest as she moved. She was crying softly when she came to a stop a few feet in front of him.

Looking up at her, he could see how much she had grown in the 2 years that she had been with him. '_It is hard to believe that this is the same girl that I was forced to save with the Tenseiga. Even in tears, she looks peaceful. She's not like the little one I knew so long ago.'_ He looked her up and down as his thought continued, '_She will need a new kimono very soon. This one will no longer do. It is too short and tattered. A lady should wear fine things.' _

It suddenly occurred to him that she had been standing there for several moments without a word. "Rin?" He asked in his usual dry voice. She moved closer to him, but did not attempt more. "What it is, Rin?"

"I've never seen you like this," she whispered.

He looked down at himself, and back at her. With raised eyebrows, he asked, "Do I disturb you? Why?"

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama," she said as she dove into his chest.

He was completely caught of guard by the girl. First she was fearful of him. Then she was in his chest. Her shifts in emotions were too confusing to understand. Instead he focused on the thought that his appearance had alarmed her. He couldn't understand why. If it had been his true youkai form, he could have understood.

Before he knew it, he was being distracted by her pulling at his clothing. It seemed the more she cried, the tighter her hold on his kimono. He could no longer remain silent. The situation was more than he could take on an emotional level. He ordered his mind to focus. When he was sure that he could keep the emotion from his voice, he began to speak, "You are more upset than usual. Why is this?"

With her head pressed in tight against his chest, she moved it form side to side. The action seemed more like an attempt at rubbing her nose in his chest than a negative gesture. Odd as the action seemed, Sesshoumaru understood that she was refusing to answer. He could feel the wetness of her tears on his skin. He wanted to ignore them, but he couldn't. Before he could catch himself, his arm was around her. Something about feeling those tears caused him great pain. He wanted only to make them stop.

"Tell me," he whispered. "What do you dream about?" He couldn't keep up the wall. It was coming down all around him. Something in those tears had made it impossible to hide the emotion that he was feeling.

She pushed herself back and looked up at him in confusion. It hadn't been an order, or something that he needed to know; there was sadness in his voice, and in his eyes. For years, she believed him to be a hero who had to hide his true heart from the world. Now she had proof of it. She just couldn't believe he had given it to her.

"Rin?" He pushed.

"I was dreaming about the wolves. I always dream about the wolves," she admitted.

It suddenly made sense to him. '_She would dream of her death. That would be reasonable to fear.'_

He placed his lips on her forehead and whispered, "You cannot forget them."

She through her arms around his neck as he tightened his hold on her. She had never felt so close to anyone in her life. Not even her parents had held her like this when they were alive. She didn't want it to end. She felt safe and cared for. She was sure that it was all she could ever want.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…don't ever leave me."

"You are mine. Why would I leave you?" He asked as he eased her off of his lap. After standing up, he handed her his fur.

Now that he was no longer holding her, he was able to regain some of his usual arrogance. He had easily gathered his swords and armor in his one arm, while Rin struggled behind him. The fur drug the ground as she fought to keep it under control. It was wrapped around her shoulders and waist, but most of it still trailed behind her. When he reached the tree, he turned back to looked at her. He wanted to smile at the vision of her with the fur, but he wouldn't allow himself to do it. Instead, he placed his things on the ground and took a seat against the tree.

"Rin," he ordered.

She knew exactly what he wanted her to do. Remaining wrapped in the fur, she curled up in his lap and prepared for sleep.

The moment she snuggled against him, a thought drifted thought his mind, '_she is finally as she should be.'_ He instantly caught himself, and wandered why he had thought it. He wasn't someone who wanted to "cuddle" with a human girl. It was insane! Still he couldn't escape the fact that he had felt enjoyment in having her weight on his chest and stomach. She smelled of flowers that she had been picking earlier in the day. It was a pleasant smell. His eyes closed as the back of his head rested against the tree. '_It is only the mood that I am in. One moment of weak character, that is all,'_ he swore to himself before looking down at her again. '_Only a mood.'_

Kagome was lying on her side staring at the blanket that separated her and Inu Yasha from Shippo's side of the room. Inu Yasha was spooned again her back, and trying to get her attention by kissing her shoulder. Unfortunately, it wasn't working as he had hoped.

"What it is, Kagome?" Inu Yasha asked.

"Is he asleep?" She inquired in a hushed voice.

Inu Yasha rose up on one arm to listen for Shippo's breathing. After a moment her answered, "I think so. His breathing is pretty steady. I can hear the music. Do you want me to go check?"

Kagome didn't try to move, but said, "It might make me feel better if you did."

He raised his eyebrows and grumbled at the thought, but did as she asked. "What I do for love," he said as he exited the blankets.

It only took a second for him to complete the task. He instantly went down on all fours when he returned to her. The way he was crawling towards her made her stop staring at the blanket. He finally had her full attention as he slowly stalked towards her.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked as she sat up and tried to move backwards.

"Don't know," he answered. He had her pinned before she would move too far from him. His lips were pressed to her ear when he continued, "It's dark, I'm shirtless, and you usually get ideas from that combination."

A shiver went down her spine. If it had not been for the many traumas that she had faced during the day, she would've tackled him the moment they had went to bed. She just couldn't deal with it all. She had to push him back.

He had felt her pull way emotionally, so it wasn't a surprise for him when she put her hands on his chest and pushed him backwards. "What have I done?" He whispered, and plopped down on his butt.

"What?" She wasn't expecting the question.

"You're pulling back from me. It's like you're not giving me all of you or something…you're hiding something. I don't know. I haven't had the chance to figure it out yet," he rambled on in frustration. "Did I do something to make you mad at me?"

"No, it isn't you. I've had a difficult day," she replied in a distant voice.

"Then stop this," he demanded. He pushed himself forward and took hold of her chin. She was holding back, but he was not going too. "You feel so…I can't describe the feeling. Numb maybe…yeah, numb. That is the way you feel. You say that you've had a difficult day, but that's not it. You're not dealing with how you feel. It's because you don't want me to know what happened today, do you?"

She stared at him in silence for a long moment before shaking her head. She didn't want to explain. She didn't want to let herself feel anything, because he would understand too much of it. It wasn't fair that he could understand her that well. It meant that he was going to see how flawed she really was. She didn't want him to see this side of her. He really didn't have a reason to know it existed. She was a different person when she was in his time. She was brave and kind. She had a purpose. The other her was afraid of being the outcast. She wanted shallow things; to be pretty, to be popular, and to be the envy of all. She wanted to be in a group, and she wasn't. She was trying so hard not to blame him for her new outcast status.

"Shame…you're ashamed," he said in a small voice. He let go of her and set back on his legs.

Her eyes went wide. She had slipped. She let her guard down at the wrong time and let him feel an emotion that she knew wouldn't be interpreted the right way. Now she had no choice but to tell him everything. If she didn't, he would assume that it was him that she was ashamed of.

She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. He was refusing to look at her. In desperation she said, "Don't do this. It is **_not_** you…I swear that it isn't you."

"It has something to do with me, or you would have told me on your own. You wouldn't be trying to hide it from me."

She didn't know what to say to that. She really hadn't thought he would pick up on it. He must have seen the shock in her face, because he suddenly became furious with her.

"Why does everyone think I am an idiot!" He growled through clinched teeth. "I have a brain. I can figure stuff out too. Just because I don't talk all the time, doesn't make me stupid."

"Inu Yasha? I never said…no one thinks you're stupid."

"Don't! Don't try to give me that hurt voice. No one has to say it. If they weren't thinking it, then I wouldn't get that look all time," he said as he threw her hands off his shoulders.

He was out of the blankets and to the door before she could realize what had happened. He was several yards away be the time she had finally made it to the door. She had to push herself to catch up with him. There he was with no shirt, no sword, and heading for the forest. She was running barefoot, and fighting to keep herself from yelling. She didn't need everyone in the village to know that they were fighting.

He had made himself stop when he reached the rice fields. He could feel her desperation and panic, and he couldn't make himself ignore it. He wanted to comfort her more than he wanted to be angry at her. He stopped and waited. He felt her hands slide around his body. She pressed her face in to his hair as it hung down his back. He knew that he had lost. He let his shoulders drop and his head fell back. As he looked up at the sky, he knew that he would do anything to keep her from feeling pain. If it came down to her happiness or his, he didn't care what he had to sacrifice.

A tall female stood watching the couple from just inside the row of trees. Lovely was the only word that could be used to describe her. Her hair was silver, and long enough for her to sit on. Her face was pale with a slight glow of rose to each of her cheeks. There was a blue crescent moon on her forehead. A heavy blue and purple material had been picked to cover the white silk of her inner garments. Despite the darkness of her kimono, when the moonlight hit her hair, it gave off the illusion that her body was glowing.

There was a smile on her lips as she watched Inu Yasha turn to put his arms around Kagome. '_You are you father's son, aren't you Inu Yasha? You would sacrifice your pride, as well as your life, to make her happy,'_ she thought.

"We should stop them before they have another night alone," Myouga insisted, hopping up and down on Kirara's head.

"No, let them be. They are safe for the moment, so we shall leave them to themselves."

"Are you pleased, Kisaki-sama?" Myouga asked.

"Very much so. He has grown into an extraordinary young man. His father would be quite pleased."

Myouga was puzzled by her comment, "Young man? Are you saying that as if he were a human."

"In his heart he is human, and he is happy because of it. He does not desire to be more, or less than what he already is. You can calm your fear of him attempting to become a full youkai. As long as he has her, he will never consider it an option."

"How can you be so sure of that? He is stubborn and full of himself most of the time. He reminds me of his brother."

Her smile faded as she looked at him. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "Have you forgotten to whom you are speaking, Myouga-kun?"

He instantly panicked and went face first into Kirara's fur. He corrected himself the best he could by saying, "Forgive me, Kisaki-sama, I wasn't thinking."

"Thank you for admitting your fault, Myouga-sama," she acknowledged as she turned and wave for Kirara to follow her. Her hand rested on Kirara's back as she explained, "I can feel his emotions, if you will remember. Inu Yasha is very different from Sesshoumaru, in many ways. I do not find the comparison to be accurate in the slightest. Both may be stubborn, but Inu Yasha has reached a peace inside himself that Sesshoumaru cannot allow himself. You would be amazed to the extent of which that separates them." She stopped suddenly and reached for Kirara's chin. Kirara stopped and look up at her. "Thank you, Kirara. You have been wonderful in all of this, haven't you? I am sure you will be glad to return home. I will see to Myouga-sama at this point."

Kirara lifted her head in reply as Myouga jumped from her head to the Empress's arm. Relieved of her passenger, Kirara was happy to turn and head for home.

"Be done with it, Myouga. I understand if you need sustenance," the Empress said. She knew he was dying to make her his snack.

"Thank you, Kisaki-sama," Myouga sang out in a cheery voice before diving in.

"Let us rest while we are able. The morning will bring us new troubles all its own."


	10. Appearances Can Deceive

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 10

Appearances Can Deceive

The morning had once again come too soon for Inu Yasha. The buzzing of the alarm was harsh to his ears. As she turned away from him to turn off the clock, he thought to himself, '_Maybe if I smash it, I'll never have to get up again. I could just hold her until she begs me to let go.' _The idea of her begging him to let go, while he covered her with kisses, left him smiling.

"What is that about?" She giggled.

"It's nice to see you all giggly," he commented. Taking advantage of the moment, he threw himself on top of her. He gently bit her neck and said, "Let's see if I can get some other nice sounds out of you."

"Inu Yasha, don't we have to leave?" Shippo's voice traveled through the blankets and into their ears.

"You suck, Shippo. I just want to make sure you know that," Inu Yasha grumbled as he raised himself on is arms.

"He's right. We should get dressed and get Miroku and Sango. The villagers will start on the fields soon," Kagome noted.

Inu Yasha turned to reach for his shirt as he whined, "Fine, I'm moving. I don't like it, but I'm moving."

"Inu Yasha," Miroku called out as he entered the hut.

"Miroku, we shouldn't just walk in like this," Sango cautioned. She was still in the doorway, holding open the reed flap.

Inu Yasha emerged from the blankets with Kagome right behind him. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it, Sango. It's not like we're alone anyway."

After the invite, she entered the hut and propped the boomerang bone up against the wall. Kirara was draped over her shoulder when she turned to face the room.

"Hey, Kirara's back," Kagome announced.

Sango lifted her hand to pet the tiny cat. "Yeah, we woke up this morning and there she was…curled up at our feet," She explained.

"Now that we are all together we need to get Shippo out of the village. Nishi's family is already up and waiting for us to leave. Is he still in his...umm?" Miroku trailed off. He pointed his finger at the blankets.

"Room…well…yah, he's still in there. I think I should warn you about something," Inu Yasha tried to explain, but Shippo cut him off.

"I'm ready," Shippo said as he pushed aside the blanket to revel himself.

Kirara meowed and tilted her head to one side. Sango's eyes went wide as she mumbled something under her breath, and Miroku's eye was twitching more rapidly then ever before. All were silent until Miroku moved in closer to Inu Yasha and asked, "How many times is he going to do that? I get the long version of this one, right?"

"Hey, I'm standing right here," Shippo stated in an exasperated tone.

"I think they got that," Inu Yasha said sarcastically.

Suddenly, Inu Yasha heard a small giggle coming from outside the hut. "Damn, this day is getting worse by the minute," he groaned as he moved past Miroku and headed for the door. He threw open the flap to see Nishi standing there with her hand over her mouth. "What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?" He snapped.

She flew by him before he had the chance to stop her. "I couldn't help it. I had to see him before he left!" She exclaimed as she tackled Shippo.

Miroku was the one to ask the obvious, "Did anyone see you out there?"

Nishi had Shippo in a death grip, which he didn't seem to mind being in. She was looking up into his eyes when she answered, "They didn't see me come here."

Inu Yasha's ears were twitching like crazy. He really didn't like the situation that she was creating. "You don't have a lot of time, so say what you need to and get it over with," he ordered as calmly as he could.


	11. True to Our Nature

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 11

True to Our Nature

Yasha- I have found two possible origins for this name. The one I am using comes from India. Yashas were demi-gods. The worship of these beings was imported to Japan by the Buddhists. They were believed to be half god and half demon. I'll continue my explanation in a moment, but I have to say something about the use of the word demon. Let me stress that demon is a poor word when describing mystical beings from Asian cultures. Demons are a Christian concept that does not fit what these beings actually are-I'm Christian, so please don't think I am putting the religion down . I mean, it is like using demon when describing a pixie, or fairy. Sorry if I sound preachy here, but a pixie is a pixie and a fairy is a fairy. I'm using demon **_only_** because the type of mystical creature that Yashas are was not specified in the research that I found. All I found was demon, which does not fit the peaceful beings that they are believed to be. Yashas usually are associated with wealth that is hidden underground and in tree roots. They are said to be the guardians of wells, trees, and shrubs(makes sense that dog boy was pinned to a tree that was next to a well). The abilities that these demi-gods possess vary. Most of Karen Yasha's abilities will be of my making, because I didn't find any specific abilities like I did with kitsune. What I did find, was that they are ruled by the Indian god of wealth. They are thought to bring wealth and fertility to those who worship them. The second legend is about a vampire bat. It isn't as widely known. It was believed that a woman died a very angry person. As a result, she was reborn as a vampire bat. My guess is that this is also Buddhist in nature, but I don't have any proof of that. I'm just going with the tie to karma and reincarnation. There really is nothing more on the legend, at least that I have found.

Youkai…**this is worth the read even if you know what they are. It will explain a lot about Shippo and Karen. **When looking at youkai, which are more like animal/nature spirits than demons, the Japanese do not see these beings as totally evil. Youkai, like humans, may have a tendency towards good or evil. This is another reason why the use of demon honks me off. Sorry, moving on… Youkai, or gods, can not interfere in human affairs unless asked. Prayers or offerings are used to show this need for help. If they do help with out being asked, they run the risk of making things worse for those who they are trying to help. To take physical form, so that they can intervene, takes a great deal of mystical energy. The youkai are taking this energy from the people and the land, which is causing an uneven distribution of the natural elements, creating a breakdown in the natural order of life. Remember that everything is about balance when it comes to Asian philosophy. This shift, and drain, of energy was believed to be the cause of war, illness, and death in feudal Japan.

Karen –The word means lovely in Japanese. It is pronounced- ka(like co in cotton) and ren(with the en like choosen).

Runa -I actually have no idea what the translation of the name means. I just liked the sound of it, and it is an actual female name in Japanese. I guess my lack of interest in the picking of the name should give some insight into my feelings on this character. I really &# hate this character, but she is necessary. You'll see why.

Oukou-sama – Oukou is the title used for prince. It could also be used for king or high ranking men of great importance. Sama is again added for the emphasis on respect.

Youki – the energy that surrounds the youkai. It is like their aura or the amount of power that they give off.

Finally, the story….

"I still can't believe you told her all that," Kagome groaned as she took hold of Inu Yasha's hand, so that he could help her out of the well.

"Will you stop whining about it? I needed someone to talk to."

Kagome rolled her eyes and said, "Well, at least it wasn't Grandpa or Miroku. I guess I should consider that a good thing."

Inu Yasha began walking and sniffing the air. "Man, I thought that they'd be farther away than that," he sighed after picking up the gang's scent. "If my nose is right, they aren't that far way," he turned to look back at her before continuing, "I'm not saying your book isn't a good thing to have, but I don't think there's anything else to know about Shippo. Mama pretty much told me everything."

Kagome stopped moving and began to look around her. There was something about the night air that didn't seem right. For a moment she could've sworn they were being watched. She was about to mention it to Inu Yasha when a ripple of sensation washed over her lower regions. She placed her hand on her abdomen as her mouth dropped open. When the second wave of sensation hit her, it drove her to her knees.

Inu Yasha felt the energy around him change, which made him stop walking. He turned to find her on all fours. Instantly, he dropped the backpack and rushed to her.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. He became dizzy the moment he touched her. The darkness that he had once felt within himself was right there at his fingertips. "What is this? I thought this was over?"

She sat up on her knees, and placing her hands on the sides of his face, she pulled him down to kiss her. Before he knew it was on top of her and pulling back for air.

"I don't like this, Kagome. We should stop and figure out why this is happening," he insisted.

His protesting was a lost cause, because Kagome was beyond listening to him; she was already kissing his face and pulling him back down. When he tried to turn his face away from her kisses, she reached for his ear with her mouth. She bit at it, and gently sucked at the edge before running her tongue over the soft pink flesh.

His mouth was open from his panting. "Oh god," he moaned, "You win, you win!" He forced himself back and threw the Tetsusaiga to the ground. Her under pants were the next thing to go. They both fumbled with his kimono until it was open and out of the way.

She was so tight that he had to thrust hard to get his penis in completely. The pleasure left him grunting in her ear.

"Inu Yasha," she said in a voice that was almost to low to hear.

His fingers tore at the grass as he pushed deeper and deeper into her. He wanted to cum. He wanted it more than anything in the world. The sensation was just too much to let go on.

"I would stop now, if I were you," the Empress said in a dry voice.

Inu Yasha's head jerked around to see who was talking. He had to blink several times to get his eyes to see the figure before him. He was struggling awkwardly, but he managed to grab at his pants and reach for the Tetsusaiga. If this being would have been a true enemy, he would have been dead before he had made it to his feet. However, that thought didn't cross his mind right way. The fact that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time made him more than ready for a fight.

The Empress turned her back to them and said, "There is no need for that."

Kagome was still struggling to find her underwear, when Inu Yasha took the Tetsusaiga from its sheath. To his amazement, nothing happened.

"Tetsusaiga won't transform!" He gasped.

"Of course not, the fang from which it was forged…still remembers me," she sighed sadly.

"Who are you?" He growled.

"Inu Yasha-sama, she's not your enemy," Myouga announced as he landed on Inu Yasha's nose, and took a quick bite.

Inu Yasha slapped at his nose. "Myouga-jiji? What the hell!"

The Empress turned to see Kagome kneeling with her face her in her hands. Her eyes remained focused on the girl as she began to speak to Inu Yasha, "Crude, though that might have been, Myouga-sama is correct. I am no more your enemy than he is," she paused and turned her full attention towards Inu Yasha. She took a step towards him before continuing, "Do I not seem familiar at all?"

"Should you?"

"I must say…that hurts a bit. I know you remember me, Inu Yasha."

"Inu Yasha?" Kagome pushed as she climbed to her feet.

"You're Sesshoumaru's mother. I don't need to remember any more than that."

"I will not push you to remember me. However, I must warn you that you are in danger."

"From what?" Inu Yasha snapped.

Kagome could feel the pain building up inside of him. She knew that he hadn't wanted to remember whatever this youkai was making him remember. It was too painful for him.

"Touch her," the Empress insisted as she looked in Kagome's direction.

Inu Yasha hesitantly reached out and touched Kagome's arm. Kagome ended up on the ground panting as a result.

"What am I doing to her?" Inu Yasha asked as he backed way from Kagome.

"It is not you, per say, who is doing it. She carries a part of your youki within her. That 'part,' must be removed. It is seeking a way out, and it will choose breeding as an escape, if it must."

"Can you make this stop?" Kagome asked in one quick breath.

"I do have it in my ability. I will intervene if you ask."

"Do it," she panted, "please make this stop!"

She moved forward, and stooped down, so that she could place her hand on Kagome's abdomen. "Try to slow your breathing and pray. I promise you, it will be over soon."

Kagome put her head on the Empress' shoulder and began to cry.

"Can I touch her?" Inu Yasha asked.

The Empress could hear the tears in his voice, and she knew how hard he was fighting to hide them. Not only could he feel the humiliation it was causing Kagome, he was remembering it. Kagome was experiencing something very similar to what he had felt only a few weeks ago.

"I know you feel this as one. You have no need to hide your emotion from me, Inu Yasha. I will not judge you harshly for it. Come, hold your wife," her voice was gentle, and so was her touch. Kagome had scarcely noticed when she had been passed off to Inu Yasha.

For several moments, she watched quietly as Kagome and Inu Yasha cling to one another. She was amazed at how perfectly matched they seemed to be. Seeing this filled her with a certainty that her past choices had all been wise; the past events that had lead to this pairing, had unfolded just as she had planned them.

"Karen," Inu Yasha murmured.

The Empress smiled and said, "You did remember."

"Karen Yasha to be exact," Myouga said as he bounced up and down on Inu Yasha's shoulder. "Your father chose your name from both his and Kisaki-sama's names."

The Empress wasn't angry at Myouga for correcting Inu Yasha. Although, she didn't think the time was right for corrections. Inu Yasha was dealing with enough, in her opinion. "That is enough, Myouga-sama. They may call me Karen."

Inu Yasha's body was shaking for both himself, and Kagome. He could scarcely speak, but he had to ask, "You said breeding. You mean children?"

"Yes," the Empress said in a quiet voice. She tried to let the regret of her words show on her face as she explained, "You understand that her bleeding aroused your youkai blood. It happed so, because your youkai is an animal by nature. Now that your youkai's nature has been taken on by Kagome…it is adjusting, if you will, to her human nature. Animals mate as they bleed. Humans mate during ovulation. You can expect her to be in this condition until she bleeds."

"That can be 2 weeks. I can't do this for 2 weeks!" Kagome cried.

"I will help you control it, child," Karen insisted. "You must promise me that you will not make love to him. You are not prepared to have his child. It could prove to be lethal for you."

"I could kill her?" He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Kagome. He suddenly became angry as he looked at Karen, "Why? I want to know why?"

"Unstable youkai bring chaos to the land that they inhabit. When youkai take on physical from, they drain the land of energy; this brings pain and death to humans, as well as the land. It is a miko's responsibility to restore balance to the elements by purifying the power that surrounds the youkai, which will eliminate this energy drain. Kagome was strong enough to tame your youkai and to take its youki into herself. However, she lacks the skill to finish her task. She has not found a way to bring balance to the energy which surrounds you both. She is merely holding it in check for now."

"I don't get this. Why would having my baby kill her?"

"Youkai are spirits. Youki is basically the youkai's soul," Kagome whispered. As the thoughts came together in her mind, she looked a Karen with absolute horror. "Spirits can possess unborn children. It would possess me by possessing the child."

"This youki is too unstable for you to control at your degree of training. If a child would be conceived…it would drain you of your power before you could give birth. I am sorry," Karen explained as she rose to her feet.

She remained facing the couple as she stuck her hand in the air. Ever so slightly she flexed her fingers, first in an up motion, then down. The gesture resulted in the emersion of a dark figure, who was seated on a two headed dragon.

Karen saw the surprise pass over Inu Yasha's face as her companion approached. "No, Inu Yasha, you are not mistaken. You did not sense her presence, because I did not wish it to be known to you. I am able to hide my presence as well as others. I can conceal this entire land, if I like."

"There are youkai that strong!" Kagome gasped.

"I am no mere youkai. You will discover this soon enough," Karen stopped and turned her attention to the female youkai who was now standing beside her.

The female was a tall dog youkai with hair and tail the color of dark honey. She also had dog ears on top of her head like Inu Yasha. The way the youkai was standing, gave off the impression that she was not trying to hide what she was. She did not seem to be the type to hide much of anything where her appearance was concerned. Her arms and shoulders were exposed. The armor that she wore was a thin black hide that could have been painted into place. It cupped her breasts and disappeared into her very short skirt, which was made of the same material. The skirt, however, was not as tight. A small hole in the back of the outfit allowed her tail to hang free, and hit her leg at mid-calf.

"He's close. I could return to him within a matter of moments," the youkai bragged.

"Very good, Runa. It is fortunate that you will not need to walk far," Karen said cheerfully, returning her attention to Inu Yasha and Kagome. "Inu Yasha, Kagome, you may take the dragon. It is my nuptial gift to you."

"I'll be walking?" Runa hissed.

Karen looked at her without the slightest change of expression and said, "You reported that it would take only moments to reach your destination. You may take as much time as you wish. With your skill, you should have no trouble finding me again."

"As my mistress wishes," Runa said in a voice that was full of pride as she glared at Karen.

"Runa, you are not to return alone," Karen warned and turned back to Inu Yasha and Kagome.

"As my mistress wishes," Runa said with a fake smile and walked way. Every movement of the youkai's body screamed of hatred for the Empress.

"Come," Karen said, acting as if she were coaxing a young child to come towards her. "The sooner you mount the beast, the sooner we may rest."

Clinging to each other as if they could not stand on their own, Inu Yasha and Kagome walked towards the dragon. Inu Yasha helped Kagome take her place in the sattle before climbing onto the creature himself.

Karen looked up at them and warned, "Trust Runa for no reason what so ever. She is with me simply because I could not leave her in the Western lands unattended." It looked as if Inu Yasha was about to ask her why, but she cut him off, "I will explain another time. Rest for now, Inu Yasha, you have too many burdens as it is. Myouga-sama, come to me. Let them have their privacy."

Myouga hopped from Inu Yasha's shoulder to find a place in Karen's soft hair.

"My backpack," Kagome remembered.

Inu Yasha began to move, but Karen raised her hand and turned to retrieve it. She handed it to him, so that he could place it on his back. She then turned to take up the reigns which hung from the dragon's mouths. Without a word she walked as far ahead as the reigns would allow.

Something about the site of her leading the dragon seemed familiar to Inu Yasha. He couldn't recall a specific memory that matched the vision, but he could remember feeling pain. He closed his eyes and wound his arms about Kagome. One arm crossed her chest, with his hand finding rest over her heart. The other arm was wrapped around her waist.

She laid her arms over his as he put his face in her hair. "I love you, Inu Yasha," she whispered as if she were ready to cry again.

His arms tightened around her. She didn't hear his words, but she felt his lips move as though he were speaking. She was wrapped up tight in his arms, and his emotions. His words weren't needed, but she was glad that he had tried. After all that had happened over the last few days, she desperately needed one thing to be normal. She was so grateful to feel those lips say, 'I love you too.'

The distance to the camp had been a short one. It hadn't been long enough for Inu Yasha and Kagome to regain any outer illusion of calm. Everyone was on their feet as Karen led the dragon into the circle of light that was coming from the fire. Miroku had been standing a few feet in front of the others.

"Inu Yasha?" He called out.

Inu Yasha climbed off the dragon and reached up to help Kagome. When she was on the ground, he said, "It's ok, Miroku, she's why Kirara was gone. Myouga used Kirara to bring her here."

"Myouga-jiji? Well, that tells me we're not in danger. Myouga would get no where near her otherwise," Miroku concluded, rubbing his chin with his fingers.

Myouga cringed at the words, and whined, "I'm doomed to be forever misunderstood!"

"Kagome-chan," Sango gasped when she caught her friend's face in the firelight. "Are you alright?"

Sango took Kagome as Inu Yasha removed the backpack from his shoulders.

"Can you get her ready to sleep, Sango?" Inu Yasha asked as he sat the pack down and began pulling stuff out of it.

"Of course," Sango said softly.

Miroku watched the small drama for several moments before his questions got the better of him. Looking at Karen, he asked, "Who are you? Your power's so strong that I can feel it in my bones. I have never felt anything like it."

"She's Sesshoumaru's mother," Inu Yasha butted in. He wasn't even going to fight the urge to be cranky. All of the day's events had finally beaten him down. Kagome was his stability, and now, she was full of chaos. He just couldn't take it any longer.

Miroku was amazed by the thought of it when he blurted out, "Why is she with you?"

"I do not share my son's feelings in regards to Inu Yasha," Karen answered simply.

"But Sesshoumaru isn't this powerful. You can't be a normal youkai. You can't be," he insisted.

"Houshi-sama, you may not be the strongest priest I've encountered, but you are the most inquisitive. I have seen many a holy man tremble before me as a result of my power. Yet you stand tall, and with questions. How delightful!"

"Here, you figure it out. I'm going to sleep," Inu Yasha said as he thrust the kitsune book into Miroku's hands. He looked at Karen and glanced to Kagome, who was lying on a blanket just beyond the fire. "Will she be…?"

"She will be fine. I will begin her training when you awaken."

"Do we get to know what happened?" Miroku asked.

"No," Inu Yasha snapped and walked way.

Sesshoumaru had begun his night in the same spot which he had ended up the night before. With his back resting against the tree, and one leg bent at the knee, he studied Rin's sleeping figure by the glow of the firelight. It was more apparent than ever that he was waiting for her, which was a discovery that had completely unnerved him. He could no longer deny it. He had removed his armor and swords. He had seated himself in such a way that she could merely crawl up onto his lap and find comfort. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't lie about it any longer. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to be her comfort. As much as these desires repulsed him, he needed to see her at peace.

"You never got that sexy for me," Runa teased as she stepped around the tree to stand in front of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's eyes remained focused on Rin as he spoke, "That explains the rankness in the air."

In the sexiest voice she could manage, "Oh, so mean. I thought you would be happy to see me. You had no complaints the last time we met." She ended up on the ground slinking towards him on her hands and knees. "Oh, that's right…we weren't talking that time, were we?"

He watched her as she moved closer. His face was blank and he sat perfectly still. The wind was blowing his hair into his face, and covering his chest that was otherwise left exposed.

She smiled up at him as she straddled his extended leg and inched her way up his body. Her hand came dangerously close to his crotch as she lifted it from in between his legs to rest on his stomach. With her weight resting on her other hand, which was planted firmly on the ground, she pushed her body against his.

"Such a hard, smooth chest. It's just like I remember. You've always been such a hansom one, haven't you? Too human looking for me, but still so much fun to play with," she whispered as she attempted to kiss his lips.

The youki coming from her body was enough to stir his interests, but his face did not show the slightest interest in her advances. His expression was as blank as ever when he dodged the kiss by looking towards the fire. He hadn't intentionally chosen to look in this direction. He was shocked himself, to find that his eyes automatically landed on Rin. The realization that he had looked at her instinctively, frightened him. He recovered the blank expression in record time, but that one slip had been enough to catch Runa's attention.

"You don't want her to see you like this! Well, isn't that interesting?" Runa laughed under her breath.

Sesshoumaru had to make himself face her. "I could care less. I simply want nothing to do with your mouth. I do not recall myself ever finding a female's mouth useful in anyway." He stated dryly.

"Well, if your little pet isn't an issue…I can show you what uses my mouth could serve."

Runa began to kiss his throat when Rin let out a small whimper. Sesshoumaru's head shot in her direction as his hand took hold of Runa's hair. Angrily, he pulled her head up and away from his skin.

"Off, now," he commanded.

"You always did like it rough," she giggled.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red. He tighten his grip on her hair, and pulled her head back with greater force, causing her head to jerk at an odd angel. The action was more than enough to tell her that he meant business, but the red of his eyes made her heart stop. Without farther comment, she began to move back. Seeing that he had made himself clear to her, he let her go and his eyes returned to normal.

Runa was left chocking back the fear as she sat at his feet in silent amazement. She turned her face in Rin's direction as her mind raced, '_All of this for a human girl! He's never turned me down before. She is more than his pet.'_ She looked at him again. He was watching her fight for control of her thoughts, and she could feel him laughing at her. She suddenly hated this human, not only because she was human, but because she was now an obstacle to be dealt with. '_What could she be giving him in return for all this devotion? She can't be old enough for mating. What has him wrapped around her finger like a damned lap dog!'_

Sesshoumaru didn't have to look away from Runa to know that Rin was cautiously approaching him. He could hear moving. She was taking tiny steps and dragging her feet as she tried to decide whether to continue getting closer.

"Rin," he said, finally turning to look at her. His face had once again gone blank, but his voice was softer than Runa had ever heard it before. Sesshoumaru took half of his fur and tucked behind his back and head. The rest, he placed across his chest. After doing so, he waited for Rin to close the distance on her own.

Runa watched Rin as she took her place on Sesshoumaru's stomach. With one leg bent at an angle over his hip, and the other knee nearly touching the ground at his other side, Rin snuggled nervously against the long line of fur. She pulled herself up until her mouth was close to his ear, and hesitantly whispered, "Sesshoumaru-sama, who is that?"

The feel of her breath against his ear sent a pulse of power rippling over his skin. He had managed to keep his blank expression, but he had to keep himself from talking for several seconds as the sensation passed. Recovering himself, he said, "Rin, set up."

She did as he asked, placing her hands on his chest for balance, and straightening her leg out for balance, she stared into his face with curious eyes.

He raised his hand to touch her check as he thought, '_I have never noticed this power from her before. Was it my imagination?'_ He searched her face, but found no clue that she understood what had just happened. Whatever had triggered this well of power to spring from her, she had not noticed it. He had not felt sexual energy from a female youkai in many years, and it was not until after feeling Runa's youki that he could sense power from Rin. He let himself believe it was logical that he could have imagined it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, are you angry with me?" She asked innocently.

"No, Rin," he whispered as his hand lead her back to her resting place.

Runa could not believe her eyes. This was not the arrogant youkai prince that she had always known. She had had sex with him too many times to believe that he would be this delicate with anyone. He liked to be brutal. He liked feeling pain, and giving it. He was rough and cold. Yet, he was sitting before her now cuddling this human girl as though she would break at the slightest touch. Precious was the word that stood out in her mind when she tried to describe what she was seeing. He was holding this girl as if she were precious to him. The power that swirled around him was even different from the violent energy that she had always remembered. This power, though still incredibly dominating, was now softer.

"What do you want, Runa?" His voice was soft as he spoke with his chin resting gently atop of Rin's head. "Since my mother's power is protecting you, I would assume it has something to do with her?"

"She sent me to find you. She wants to see you."

"She does not need your help to find me. She knows that I am here."

"You'll just have to ask mommy, then," she sneered.

"Do not forget that I am your lord, Runa. I can kill you if I like. My mother's protection means nothing if you are offensive to me."

She could feel that dominant, crushing power coming from his body. She knew that he had meant it as more than an idle threat. It was no longer about pride or the shock of rejection. The sting of his power over her had triggered her instinct to survive. She throw her body forward, so that her face was against the ground, and begged, "Forgive me Oukou-sama, I will not make such a mistake again."

"Leave," he ordered coldly.

"Oukou-sama, my Empress's order was that I not return alone. I must stay in this area for tonight, but I will not offend you with my presence. I can stay in the forest…if you will allow it?"

"As long as I do not have to see you, I do not care where you are."

Runa was instantly on her feet and heading for the forest.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin whispered.

"Rin?"

"I don't like her. She feels strange."

He narrowed his eyes and bent his cheek close to her head, "What do you mean by this?"

"She doesn't feel like you do. She feels like the wolves."

"How do I 'feel'?" He asked cautiously, leaning his head back against the tree.

"Like someone who would be hurt if I wasn't here. You like me, she doesn't," she murmured softly as her arms tightened around his shoulders. She snuggled her face in his hair and stopped moving.

His closed his eyes. He didn't know how to reply, so he said nothing. Instead he listened to her breathing as her body relaxed against his. She was already forgetting the conversation and falling to sleep in his embrace.

'_So you can feel the youki that surrounds us? That is something I had not expected from you. Perhaps, I was not imagining that power. My little Rin, you're always surprising me. Humph, always making me surprise myself. What else do you know about me that I do not want you to know?'_


	12. Tortured Souls

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 12

Tortured Souls

Youki- I have already explained the actual term. I did want to warn you that I am using it a bit differently from this point on. You could think of it in terms of a soul. Like Kagome's soul would be split between Kikyou and herself, Inu Yasha's soul is split between his human soul and the youki. It is almost like an alter ego thing. I hope that is not too confusing.

Inu Yasha did not know if he was awake or dreaming. All he knew was that Kagome's lips were locked on his. His heart was racing. He could have cared less that the sun had risen. The only heat he cared about was the heat that danced between his body and hers. She was already on top of him, and pulling his kimono out of her way. His hands were under her shirt, kneading her lower back as she ground her body into his. The more she moved, the more he wanted her. He wanted her so badly that he couldn't breathe.

"Kagome," he moaned and set up, forcing her up with him.

Miroku cleared his throat and Inu Yasha's head shot to the left to see the gang, minus Karen, looking on. Kagome, however, was not deterred by the sound. In a panic, Inu Yasha spun Kagome onto her back, grabbed for their sleeping bag, and cover as much of their bodies as he could.

Miroku and Sango were dumbfounded as they listened to Inu Yasha plead for Kagome to find her control.

Unable to control her, Inu Yasha screamed through the sleeping bag, "Karen! Where the hell are you, Karen?"

Miroku was about to reach out to touch the sleeping bag, when Karen's voice come out of nowhere, "No, Houshi-sama, do not touch them. You can not help them."

He looked up to see her gliding on the air like an enormous butterfly. He was not sure if it had been a trick of light, or if she was truly the most graceful thing he had ever seen. She was in the air, and then on the ground without stopping. There had been no breaking motion, just one continuous glide from moment to moment; from floating to kneeling in seconds, she took his breath away.

"I am here, Inu Yasha. Let my hand touch her," she said, placing her hand under the large mound of material.

All motion under the blanket stopped.

"What is going on?" Miroku demanded an answer.

"Kagome, you must come with me now," Karen said softly.

Inu Yasha sat back on his legs as the sleeping bag slid off his back. They were both in tears. Kagome instantly turned towards Karen and grabbed at her kimono as if the Empress was her only hope.

Karen embraced Kagome and held her gently as she said, "You must stand as I do." With the warning given, Karen rose with Kagome sobbing at her chest.

It took a minute for Kagome to allow herself to back way from Karen. When she was able to stand on her own, she looked down at Inu Yasha. He looked so broken. He was losing his hope, and she had no idea how to make it stop. She couldn't continue looking at him, she had to turn away. But when she did, her eyes met those of Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara. They had all been there, and they had all seen what had happened. The questions were there in their eyes, and she couldn't say that she was alright. She couldn't say she would be fine, because she was afraid that she wasn't anymore.

"Oh God, oh God…" she mumbled through her hands as they covered her mouth.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango said with a voice that sounded close to tears.

Kagome shook her head back and forth, and then turned to run into the woods.

Inu Yasha started to stand, but Karen put her hand on his shoulder. As reassuringly as she could, Karen said, "Be patient, Inu Yasha, you have not lost her yet. This part of the fight must be hers alone, but she will still be in need of your strength."

Inu Yasha didn't respond to the words. He just set there staring in the direction that Kagome had gone. It was like he was dreaming; nothing seemed real, as he watched Karen walking in the same direction. His mind was echoing a single word, '_Why, why, why?'_ It echoed over and over until he was pulling at his hair and screaming it into the dirt.

"Inu Yasha!" Miroku thundered. Inu Yasha stopped screaming long enough to look up and see Miroku squatting down before him. "What is happening? Let me help you."

"You can't help with this," the words were barely audible. Climbing to his feet, Inu Yasha began walking in the direction of the well.

Miroku sat there wounded by Inu Yasha's lack of faith in him. He watched the ground as Inu Yasha walked away. Finally his eyes noticed something in the corner of his vision. The Tetsusaiga had been left behind. Instinctively, Miroku picked it up and began to follow his friend.

"Miroku, let me take it," Sango requested as she rushed to stop him.

"You? Why?" He was puzzled.

Sango looked up into his eyes and explained, "I think I know what is happening. Kagome has been telling me some things about the two of them. It might be better if I go. Besides, I think he needs a…less intimidating…person to talk to."

"You mean someone who's not a known pervert," he said with an awkward smirk.

She took the sword and said, "I just know more about this than you do, Miroku."

Miroku traced her face with his fingertips, and whispered in a melancholy voice, "My angel always tells me gentle lies. Go get him…and bring him back in a better mood."

Inu Yasha couldn't think anymore. He couldn't feel. It was like he had suddenly become hollow inside. All he could do was walk. He was not sure where he was going, or what he planned to do when he got there. He just gave into the fact that his feet were taking him someplace away from the pain and all the questions that he couldn't answer. It had not been until he found himself looking down into the well that he understood what he was doing.

'_Home, I was going home. Damn it, Kagome, I want to go home!'_ He thought, stumbling backwards, and wiping at his eyes as he fought to find his balance.

He looked up to see Goshinboku directly in front of him. He took a step towards the tree, and then another. With each step, the emotion ebbed its way closer to the surface.

"What did I do? Why do I have to be punished for being at peace? I've been playing the part of the damned hero. I'm trying to be good," he yelled. Finally, his legs could no longer keep him standing. He was on his back staring up at the harsh sunlight, when he asked, "Why does everyone have to die just because I love them? Why does another woman have to die because I'm so weak?"

Sango had heard it all from several yards way. As she stood there and watched him cry, she could honestly say that she understood what he was feeling. It was clear that she was right in not letting Miroku follow him. He wouldn't have understood this about Inu Yasha. He couldn't understand it about her.

She took a deep breath to gather her courage, and made the resolve to go to him. Removing the hiraikotsu from her back, Sango plopped down on the ground next to him. Then, placing the Tetsusaiga on his chest, said, "You forgot this."

He bent his head upwards to look at the sword. With a bitter edge to his voice, he growled, "Lot of good it's done me. It's as worthless as I am."

"I understand what you're feeling, but you're not worthless. None of us would be here if it weren't for you."

"You might be somewhere better," he groaned.

"You know that's not true, and so does everyone else."

"I'm not in the mood for this, Sango."

"I know something about what you and Kagome have been going through. She has been talking to me about it."

Inu Yasha sprang up, moving the sword out of his way as he did so, and looked at Sango suspiciously. He studied her face for a second and asked, "What has she been telling you?"

"I know you can feel each other's emotions. She said you can't tell them apart most of the time. I know that her friends, all but Ayumi-san, have shunned her."

"They what?" He was shocked to hear it, but it finally made sense. "That's why she was so miserable. That's why she was ashamed that night."

"She didn't tell you that they disapproved of how the wedding appeared?"

"The wedding? It's not me that they had a problem with?"

"No, they didn't like that she got married at all. It was something about traditions not mixing right, and how she was wasting her time going to school. They treated her like she was worthless for becoming someone's wife. I only got bits of it. It was Ayumi-san who took her side, so Ayumi-san was rejected too. Oh, and Ayumi-san knows that you're a hanyou."

Inu Yasha fell backwards, and put his hands over his face. "Is there anything else I don't know?" He grumbled through his hands.

"Well, tell me what is going on and we'll find out. I can't tell you that you don't know something, when I don't know if you know it."

He sat up and turned his body so that he could face her. "Do you know why we can feel each other's emotions?"

"Somehow, Kagome took part of your youkai and you took some of her miko. It's not really clear to us what happened to the both of you."

"Ok, to make this easy for both of us, that part that she took is causing a problem. It might kill her."

"What does that have to do with what happened back there? Kagome wasn't herself, but you didn't seem to be in any danger. At least not from what I was seeing."

"We were…we can't…" he stopped to think of a good way to say it. He wanted something that wasn't so embarrassing. "We can't do…it," he said giving a low nod with the word it. He was hopping that she would get the point from the head movement, because he really didn't want to have to say it.

She mimicked the actions as she repeated the word, "it?"

"It," he said nodding his head. "What males and females do when they are like me and Kagome."

"It? Oh, it. Oh, you mean **_it_**!" she gasped.

"Yeah, it," he snapped and rolled his eyes.

"Not at all? You can't even do it a little?"

"How do you do **_it_** a little? No, we can't do **_it_** at all. I could kill her if she gets pregnant."

"Wait, that's why she wasn't acting like herself. She can't control your youkai. But why…," she was hit with the answer before she could finish the question. The astonishment showed on her face as she gasped, "You're afraid of it possessing the child!"

"Karen came to help her control the youki that she took from me. If she can't teach Kagome, then I'll kill her eventually."

"Can she give it back to you?"

"It was just as dangerous that way. It wouldn't matter. I love her too much to see her suffer. But I love her too much to let her go."

"I heard what you said when you thought you were alone. I know you don't think it's your choice. You're just waiting for something to take her away from you."

"Feh, what would you know about it?" he looked way.

"I go to sleep every night wondering if Miroku will be there when I wake up. I've been waiting every day, since the day we met, for him to leave me. Everyone I have ever loved is dead. Even Kohaku is lost to me. I couldn't protect them. I couldn't keep them close enough. I failed them. I would be a fool to believe that Miroku will be any different."

He thought about her words and realized that she did understand. He couldn't stand the thought that Kagome could be hurt. Death wasn't an option. He would die before he would let that happen to her. It was like Sango had said; he had been waiting for her to leave. He had been waiting for the day that he would lose her, just like his mother, and just like Kikyou.

"How do you live day after day like that?" He had to fight back the urge to cry again.

In a bitter sweet voice, she answered, "I lose myself in him. I love him anyway that he will let me, and I'll continue doing it until he's gone."

"What happens if he leaves?"

"I don't know. I'll probably want to die."

"I won't let you die."


	13. Human Hearts

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 13

Human Hearts

Izayoi- Inu Yasha's mother. This is the name that she was given in the third movie.

Note: In Japan, it is considered cute(in a childish way) to use your name when talking about yourself. Rin does this from time to time.

Sesshoumaru's full attention was focused on Inu Yasha as he rolled and whimpered on the ground. He was surrounded by Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, who were all trying to make sense of what was happening. Rin was hiding behind Sesshoumaru's fur and seemed quite content to remain in hiding until the excitement was over. Jaken stood at Rin's side with Aun close behind him.

Runa, in her opinion, seemed to be the only one determined on not standing by and watching the twisted mess before her. "The hanyou needs to be dealt with. Make him stop screaming already," she said coldly as she took a step forward.

"Runa," Sesshoumaru said in a voice that made her freeze.

The voice hadn't been loud, but it carried more power than any voice she had ever heard. She loathed him for his strength. He was the only youkai who could frighten her with only the sound of a single word.

As suddenly as it had begun, it was all over. Inu Yasha was recovering himself and attempting to stand.

"Inu Yasha, what just happened to you?" Shippo questioned.

"Kagome's in pain. I have to find her," he insisted as he looked around in a half dazed state.

"It would be best to stay where you are," Sesshoumaru warned.

"Who the hell asked you?" Inu Yasha spat the words at him.

"Houshi," Sesshoumaru said, looking at Miroku, "Did you feel the change in his youki?"

Miroku nodded and said, "I felt it. Inu Yasha, your youki expanded and changed before you fell to the ground. I'm sorry, I have to agree with Sesshoumaru. You should stay were you are."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inu Yasha yelled.

"For an instant, your scent was closer to that of a full youkai." Sesshoumaru explained.

"How the hell would you know that?" Inu Yasha groaned and threw his hands up in the.

"Have you forgotten that I have been in the presence of your youkai form? I will never forget that scent. It was filled with rage and violence."

"About time, this is getting old," Runa butted in.

All eyes were on Runa, and then suddenly turned to see what she was looking at. Karen and Kagome were walking towards them from a far off row of trees. Everyone, except Inu Yasha, waited patiently as they approached. Inu Yasha could only fidget and fight the urge to run towards Kagome.

Kagome was leaning on Karen, who had one arm around her for support. Kagome was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to lay down with Inu Yasha in the grass and take a long nap. She had been so preoccupied by her weariness that she hadn't noticed Sesshoumaru, although she was looking directly at him.

"Come, Inu Yasha, your wife needs you," Karen said as she brought their bodies to a stop.

Inu Yasha ran to take Kagome into his arms. She fell against him without a word, while Inu Yasha yelled at Karen, "What did you do to her? I felt the pain. You put her in danger."

"I did it myself. She tried to stop me," Kagome mumbled against his neck.

"Kagome, please do not speak. Rest, dear, please," Karen pleaded as she rubbed Kagome's back. "I underestimated her ability to rely on her instincts. I am sorry for that. I will not make such a mistake again."

"What happened? Why did I feel that?" Inu Yasha asked, refusing to let it drop.

Karen began rubbing her forehead out of sheer frustration. After a long silence, she answered in an agitated voice, "Inu Yasha, look at your wife. She is barely able to stand. Take her and lie down. Do it now while she is calm. I will explain everything after you have rested."

It took Karen yelling at him to make Inu Yasha realize that the youki would make its way to the surface again. He was wasting his time yelling at Karen, when he should have been following her advice to rest while they had the chance. Finally, he nodded and swept Kagome up into his arm. He then carried her to the disheveled sleeping bag and laid her down. When she was settled in comfortably, he settled in next to her.

Strangely enough Kirara had followed them. Transforming into her larger from, Kirara, laid down with her back parallel the couple. The gesture gave them a white wall, which separated them from the others. They wouldn't have total privacy, but they would be more difficult to see while they were lying down.

"Arigatou, Kirara," Inu Yasha whispered gratefully.

"Will we get this explanation as well?" Miroku asked.

"Houshi-sama, why do you wish to become involved more than you already are?" Karen asked respectfully.

"We're their family. We want them to be safe too."

"Well said, Houshi-sama, you will be included from this point on."

Karen turned to look at Sesshoumaru. She scanned his proud frame as he stood there waiting for her to speak. It was plain that he had changed since she last saw him. Sure, he was still full of pride, of few words, and very distant from the world around him. However, the young female that hid behind him, had softened his heart. The manner in which he stood watching Inu Yasha told her that Sesshoumaru had grown more tolerant of his brother. Karen had seen these changes in visions, but the sight of the girl touching her son was unbelievable. His hatred of humans didn't extend to this girl, no matter how he wanted to believe that it did.

"Ohayou, my son. Your eyes tell me you have questions. Lucky for you, I do plan to give you answers," she said as she walked over to the double-headed dragon. On the back of his saddle, there was a large bundle.

"Are you so sure I want your answers?" He asked arrogantly.

She allowed her self a sarcastic grin as she looked back at him. With the bundle in her hands, she walked towards him and said, "You are still the boy I knew, eh? You many not want my answers, boy, but you will need them. Follow me, and bring your female companion."

Runa, with a boastful smile on her face, took a step forward.

Karen stopped directly in front of Sesshoumaru, but looked at Runa. In a voice as dry as Sesshoumaru's, she stated, "I was not referring to you, Runa."

Runa's face dropped as she took a step backwards.

Changing to a softer tone, Karen turned to look past her son and confronted Rin, "I was referring to the young lady…who seems to be hiding behind my son."

Rin bashfully peeked around Sesshoumaru's elbow.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru ordered.

Rin stepped around him to face Karen. Karen's eyes opened a bit wider as she examined the girl. "I am glad I brought the gift of a new kimono. Sesshoumaru, this kimono is insulting. Have you not noticed that it is torn and too short for her? You can see the girl's knees. How do you expect to present her as a lady in garments such as this?"

"I like my kimono. Sesshoumaru-sama had it made for me," Rin insisted.

"I understand your feelings, but you must think of your appearance. It is indecent for you to be dressed in such a manner," Karen argued.

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient with the conversation. His voice carried his agitation, "Rin."

Rin took the gift and said in a cheerful voice, "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

'_What a well trained pet you have raised,' _Karen thought. She was bothered by the way he was treating the girl.

"Should we get this over with?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Karen smiled and began walking. Sesshoumaru followed after her with Rin hurrying to walk at his side. Jaken was left whimpering with Aun, who was making himself comfortable in the grass. Runa was less than pleased as she watched them walk way. It took one look towards the remaining group for her to decide to walk in the opposite direction.

Miroku sighed and motioned Shippo to join him and Sango, "Shippo, get your book. It's going to be a slow day, so we might as well get something accomplished."

"I can't believe **that** is the same little girl. She is nothing like Kagome described," Sango whispered.

"Some time has passed since Kagome has seen her," Miroku commented.

"But it is has only been two years!"

Rin gleefully walked ahead of Sesshoumaru and Karen. She was holding the bundle that held her new kimono in her arms as if it were a child being cuddled at her breasts. Sesshoumaru appeared to be watching the path ahead of him as they walked, but he was actually watching Rin out of the corner of his eye.

'_You cannot help but watch her, can you? I know you will say you have no feelings for this girl. Yet, she is more and more becoming the center of your world. My son, the fool, you cannot face your feelings for her.' _

Sesshoumaru waited until he was well out of ear shot before he began his questions. "What is the girl doing to him?" He asked keeping his attention on Rin.

The notion that he was being considerate to those they had left behind was very puzzling to Karen. She wondered if this new Sesshoumaru was a result of Rin's presence or a result of remembered fondness for Inu Yasha.

"Why does it bother you? You claim to hate your bother," she replied.

"Tell me if you like. It means nothing to me," he returned.

"It is so difficult to care for your bother? You loved him a great deal once."

"Love? I have no such memories."

"Was it not you who was the second being to hold him? Izayoi placed him in your arms without hesitation," she grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face her. The action stunned him and left him starring at her in shock. She wanted to shake some sense into him, but instead she continued, "You held that boy more than I did. Still you say you do not remember being fond of him. What will it take for you to let this bitterness go?"

Rin stopped and looked at them. She wasn't sure what was about to happen, but she could feel the power around them spiraling. It felt the same as when Sesshoumaru was ready to fight. She was frightened, and the smell of fear made them both turn to look at her.

Karen let go of Sesshoumaru. She hadn't meant to lose her patience. It was this lack of patience that had always been her greatest obstacle when it came to dealing with her children.

"Gomennasai, Sesshoumaru," Karen said as she looked at him.

He looked at her in disbelief. "You are apologizing?"

"A good parent apologizes when they are unjust. Your question showed your concern, regardless of you attitude. I should not have pushed you to admit more. I know you well enough to see beyond your words."

Sesshoumaru had noting left to say. He stood there waiting for her to make the next move.

Karen began walking and Sesshoumaru and Rin followed suite. With sad eyes looking straight ahead, Karen explained, "Kagome carries the dark part of Inu Yasha's soul within her. It has given her a special link to his life. You could say they are truly one body and mind. Due to this emotional link, he feels all that she does. It is the same for her."

"He feels her mental pain, physically. That's unnerving, to say the least. What was the girl doing that caused him such pain?"


	14. Needs and Voices

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 14

Needs and Voices

Nishi stood and placed the palm of her hands on the small of her back, each resting an inch or so from her spine. Curving her back, she leaned backwards and let her spine stretch. The sun was directly over her head, which made her eyes snap shut. She had already spent the majority of her day on her hands and knees in the dirt of the small garden. Herbs and vegetables needed to be planted while the older members of her family worked in the rice field. She looked down at her younger sisters and sighed. She didn't want to return to the dirt.

'_I hate planting season. I wish I could be at the river right now with Shippo,' _she thought as she looked in the direction of the river. Letting her hands drop to her sides, she wondered, '_Where are you? Are you thinking of me, Shippo? I hope I am not a bad person for thinking such things, but I hope you can't forget the last time I kissed you. I want you to think about it so much that it drives you crazy. Maybe then you'll come back to me.'_

Her thoughts had just ended when she noticed her brother, Gigen, rushing towards her. Without warning, the back of his hand thundered across her cheek. He had hit her so hard that her body had spun in a full circle before hitting the ground.

"You selfish little bitch! How could you open your mouth like that? Do you care about anyone but yourself?" He screamed in what seemed on rapid clash of sound.

She would have asked him what he was talking about, but she already knew. She tried to move her jaw, which sent pain rippling across her face. Despite the pain, her mouth did work. It was a good sign that told her it hadn't been broken by the blow. With her jaw on fire, she replied, "It must be the talk of the fields by now. I told her the truth. I don't want to marry him. I don't want his filthy hands to touch me."

Unable to control his anger, he bent over and grabbed the front of her kimono. Taking a large lump of it in his hands, he pulled her upwards and extended his hand as if to hit her again. "If it were up to me you would sleep with the animals. You seem to like them better than humans anyway."

"Gigen, let her go now!" Shido commanded, coming to a stop. He was panting as if he had ran the entire distance from the field to the small plot of land next to their hut.

Gigen released Nishi and stood to confront his father. As he did so, his father struck him in the same fashion in which he had just struck Nishi. The boy stumbled backwards and lost his footing. He ended up in the dirt as Shido helped Nishi to her feet.

Nishi's father examined her cheek as he spoke to Gigen. "You keep forgetting that you are not the head of this family. You will never hit your sister again, any of your sisters. If you do…I'll tie you to one of the horses, and have you dragged through the fields until you remember your place. Do you understand me, boy?"

Gigen flew forward to bow at his father's feet. "I will never touch her again. I swear it."

"Nishi, come inside," Shido said, leading her by the arm.

Shido had refused to speak a word until they were inside the hut. He planted himself firmly against the wall as Nishi sat on her knees. She honored him by keeping her head down, and her eyes fixed on the floor, as she waited for him to speak.

"You should have told me yourself. The chief personally pulled me from the field to tell me how you rejected his son. I had to beg for his forgiveness, but he is willing to let you change your mind."

"I'm sorry papa, but I don't want to marry Taro. He disgusts me."

"Why do you speak like that? He could make your life more comfortable. Would it be so difficult, if you never had to put your hands in dirt again?"

"I would rather spend my life covered in earth, than to let him touch me for one day."

"Nishi, if you don't marry him…I will be forced to disown you. We cannot afford to carry such a disgrace. Gigen is difficult enough to deal with, but this could destroy us."

She closed her eyes and pretended to think it over. In reality, she had already made her decision. She hated Taro. He only wanted her, because so many of the other boys did. He also wanted her for her body. He didn't care about anything else. Why should she be forced to give herself to someone like that? All the young men in the village acted the same way towards her. They wanted her because she was beautiful. Shippo was the only one who had been different. The one person she wanted to give her body to was the only one who wouldn't take it.

"Do you honestly think the kitsune wants you for anything other than food?"

The question made her look up. The act was over. She was so stunned that he had said it. She couldn't help but look him right in the eyes.

"If you do, then go to him. If he is as honest as the hanyou claims, then he will prove his love for you. Tell him that he has to face me before the next full moon with a marriage proposal. If he does not, you will marry Taro-sama without another complaint."

She couldn't speak. His words had not seemed real.

"Stop looking at me like that and go get cleaned up. The sooner you find him the better. I want this over with. I'm too old for all this fighting."

Nishi didn't need to be told a second time. She rushed outside to find the water she needed to clean the dirt off, and then dashed back inside to gather things she might need. She was not sure how far Shippo had traveled in the last 24 hours, but she remembered him walking towards Inu Yasha's forest. She knew if she kept walking, she would eventually find him.

Shippo landed with a thud as he fell backwards in the grass. It was a lot to digest, but he finally understood what being a kitsune meant. His head was swimming with the thought of all the power he actually had. However, he was not ready to change. According to the book, he needed to feed from a human to gain the correct amount of power he needed to survive. He had remained in his weaker form for so long because he had not known how to feed properly. Instead, he settled from taking what little energy he could from his surroundings and his friends. This had not been accomplished as a conscious thing. His body had apparently been doing it naturally, without his awareness for years. Learning this fact had been very unsettling to him.

"What do I do now?" Shippo whimpered, looking up at 2 birds that were circling in the sky.

It was Miroku who answered with, "It looks like you take Nishi up on her offer."

"Miroku!" Sango exclaimed.

"What else can he do? If he uses his power he has to feed. He has already started the changes. He can't stop it now. He can't keep feeding from us, because he'll starve to death. The book says he will need an abundant source. That means he can't keep taking a little here and there like he has always done."

Shippo sat up. "Sure, but according to that same book, I can hurt her if I do mate with her. She might not be able to handle my power. And then, there's the danger of it feeling too good. I'm afraid of feeding. I don't want to do it."

"There has to be a way he can feed without hurting her?" Sango said in such a way that it come out sounding like a question.

"There is…self-control. He has to learn to use his power. He can't learn if he does not use it!" Miroku snapped at her. As Sango and Shippo sat in silence, Miroku rubbed his temples with his fingers. After a minute of rubbing in a circular motion, he said, "Forgive me Sango, I didn't mean to say it that way."

"You're tired, Miroku. It's ok." She assured him, while massaging his neck with one hand.

"I'm gonna go think," Shippo announced as he got up and turned his back to them.

Miroku closed his eyes and let Sango's hand do its work.

"Miroku, you're usually calmer than this. What's wrong? You're so tense." Sango whispered.

"I need you Sango. I've made love to you nearly every night since we've been together. And on the nights that we couldn't make love…you were at least willing to do other things to me. I didn't think it would be this difficult, but it is. I can't tell you how badly I need to touch you."

"That's only because you're a pervert!"

"I'm a pervert? You wanted to do them to me! You're just as much of a pervert as I am."

"Ok, we're both perverted. But I can't believe you can't go one night. You slept next to me last night. You were touching me then," she reminded him and shook her head.

He reached around and took her hand from the back of his neck, which through her off balance. He used the awkwardness of the moment to pull her against his body. With his lips right up against hers, he said, "You don't get it. It's not the same."

"Miroku, they can see us," Sango whispered in a panic.

"That's what I mean. You won't let me touch you the way I need to if anyone's around. I'm not talking about making love to you in front of them. I just want to kiss you, and hold you in a way that says I'm your lover."

Sango looked around at their companions. Inu Yasha and Kagome, as well as Kirara, were sleeping. Behind her Jaken was still on his back in the grass whimpering about being left behind. Shippo was several yards in front of her with his back towards them.

"Well, I guess we are pretty much alone. I don't now if I can let you kiss me that way when people are watching."

"What if I promise to give you nice innocent little kisses?"

"Miroku, you don't do anything that's innocent."

"Can I kiss you anyway? I'll try to be a good boy."

"You're not a good boy either. Maybe you should just kiss me before I come to my senses."

Shippo sat quietly while he scanned the forest for anything that could take his mind off his troubles. However, he was unable to find a decent distraction, and was forced to give into reality. In order to stay in human form, he would need to keep his strength up. This meant that he had to find a food supply that was strong enough to handle the energy drain. Then there was the truth about his power. If he wanted to discover how powerful he was, he needed to use it. That also meant that he would need to feed. Like it or not, he was limited when it came to feeding options: drain the land, drain his friends, drain a stranger, or feed from Nishi. He didn't really like any of the choices that he had before him. Of all the choices, Nishi was at least a willing victim. By choosing to mate, she would get power from him that might help her survive. In the end, Shippo couldn't stand the idea of using her to sustain his power; it seemed wrong. This wasn't what mating meant to Inu Yasha, or even Miroku. The two men he admired most had chosen their mates out of love. He wanted to do the same.

Giving in to the weight of an overly burdened mind, Shippo flopped back into the grass and tucked his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes and thought of Nishi. He was seeing her just as she had been the last time he had seen her; with her body pressed against the wall of the small hut. He wanted her so bad at that moment. If Inu Yasha hadn't stopped him, he would've given in to her. He would have felt guilty afterwards, but he would've given in.

'_What made you try so hard? Was it the power you were feeling, or the sensation? Or do you really love me like you say you do? You didn't look like you could speak when your legs were wrapped around me. If humans can become slaves to the power they get from kitsunes…how do I know you really love me? You could just be enslaved by the effects of my power. I wish I could feel your emotions like Inu Yasha can with Kagome. Maybe that would help me make up my mind. Even hearing your thoughts would be good. I would settle for that.'_ He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. For a short moment he let himself draw energy from the ground beneath him. '_I guess I really can feel it that easy. It's no wonder I have been doing it all this time without thinking about it. It really doesn't take much to do.'_

Finally, it hit him. The book had mentioned a special link that would exist between kitsunes and their mates. The recollection of the information caused him to sit up. '_What if I can read her mind? The book said I could feed from a long distance. I can even use my thoughts to call her to me if I want. So why shouldn't I be able to read her thoughts? It can't take that much energy to do. I can feel the grass with no effort, so I should be able to reach out to her mind just as easy.' _

He decided that relaxing in the grass would help him in his experiment, just as it had helped him feel the energy of grass. When his body was relaxed, he let himself think of Nishi. With very little effort, he recalled how it felt to be close to her. He was remembering the sensation of being pressed against her, with such accuracy, that he swore he was feeling it all over again.

Nishi was making her way into the forest when her body began to tingle. The heat was quickly becoming unbearable, and she was very dizzy. Luckily, her hand found a nearby tree, because she was sure that she was about to fall. As her breathing and pulse began to quicken, an image of Shippo lying in an open patch of grass popped into her mind.

"You're calling me aren't you, Shippo? I'm here, please, know I'm here," she whispered. She pressed her eyes closed and thought of him in the grass. She began to pray that he would find her soon, because the heat that covered her body was making it difficult to remain on her feet.

Shippo's eyes opened wide. In only seconds, he had sprung up and started moving. "She's in the forest? That's her, I know it's her," he said under his breath.

Miroku's eyes were closed as he sat peacefully holding Sango. He was more than content to have Sango leaning against him. His chin was resting on her head, which was pressed against his chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Shippo's movement had caught Sango's attention. "Miroku, Shippo is running towards the forest!"

"What?" he mumbled. He had just gone from restful bliss to sudden panic. His mind was having trouble catching up.

"Miroku, we have to go after him!"

"But what if Inu Yasha and Kagome wake up? Do you think we should leave them alone? I mean, Karen is still with Sesshoumaru."

They both looked over at Jaken, who was still pouting in the grass.

"Ok, one of us stays," Sango answered. "You can go. I'll stay here."

Miroku stood and looked at Kirara. The cat was sleeping peacefully. Looking back to Sango, he commented, "I don't think Kirara will want to leave you here alone, and I don't think I'll catch him on foot."

They both looked at the double-headed dragon that stood watching them.

"Dragon?" Sango asked.

"Dragon," Miroku answered.

Nishi's body was calm again, but she was certain that she should stay were she was. It was like the idea of staying put had been placed in her head, and hadn't been her own thought at all. She was sure that Shippo was coming for her. Without further thought, Nishi resigned herself to taking a seat on a large rock that sat a yard from the tree. In hopes that it would distract her, she removed a few pieces of dried fruit from her bundle and began to eat.

Eating, however, only occupied her for so long. She was quickly growing restless. To keep herself from jumping out of her skin, Nishi decided to play a game. She listened to the forest around her and tried to name the sounds that she heard. Time seemed to be standing still as she waited, and her anticipation was getting the better of her. She had to stand. Even if she had to pace back and forth, she had to do something.

Then she heard it. Someone was calling out her name from far off in the distance. At first, she thought it was only wind in the trees. Looking up, she discovered that the branches above her were motionless. She heard the voice again. This time she was certain that it was someone calling her name, and voice was getting closer.

'_It has to be him,_' she thought. In her urgent need for it to be him, she stepped forward and wildly looked from side to side.

"Shippo! Shippo, I'm at the edge of the forest! Shippo, please, be able to hear me!" She yelled in the loudest voice she could manage.

"Nishi, I'm coming." Shippo called out.

She was right. He was coming for her. She wanted to run to him, but she heard his voice in her mind. '_Stay where you are and think about me.'_ He told her.

Stunned by the voice in her head, she dropped to her knees and covered her opened mouth with her hand. She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath as she thought,'_That_ _can't be. I heard him in my head…that can't be._'

'_Yes, it can. Keep thinking of me. It_'_ll help me find you.' _

She tried to steady her breathing and do as he asked, but hearing his words in her mind was so intimate and frightening. But, in a way, it was more sexual than having his hands on her body. "_If he can hear my thoughts, then there is no where for_ _me to hide from him. He could have all of me anytime he_ _wants me._' The idea of it sent a shiver over her body.

'_You really think so? Is that a good thing, or is that a bad thing?'_ He thought as he stood panting before her.

She opened her eyes slowly. She couldn't believe that he was actually there. She had prepared herself for a long trip, yet she had scarcely left the village.

"I thought you would've jumped me by now," he laughed.

Without warning, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down on top of her. His lips hadn't hesitated in attaching themselves to hers.

'_You always taste so sweet. I love kissing you.' _ He stopped kissing her and pulled himself back to examine her face. '_It's the power isn't it? You are drawn to the power I give off.'_

She couldn't get her mouth to work, but she shook her head in disagreement.

'_Use your thoughts, Nishi. If you can't speak, then use your thoughts. I need your mind to tell me if you really do love me or not.'_

'_I do. I love you. I can prove it to you now,' _she thought, pulling him back to her lips.

He had almost given into the kiss, but stopped himself. This time he decided to pulled way from her completely. Setting up on his knees, he continuing the conversation with his mind, '_That's not what I want, Nishi. I can't take sex as proof from you. There are too many things that are making it more complicated than that.'_

She sat up and looked at her hands, which rested against the top of her thighs. '_You don't want me? Why are you the only one who doesn't want me?' _

'_Nishi, look at me.'_ She looked up at him immediately. The action made him feel like he could control her movements, which worried him all the more. '_I want you. You have no idea how much I want you, but I can't do it. Not yet, anyway. You're so willing, Nishi. Why are you so willing?'_

"Shippo!" Miroku called out. "What is Nishi doing here?"

He turned to see Miroku on the back of Inu Yasha's dragon. "It's ok, Miroku. I'm just talking to her." Then it occurred to him that he didn't know why she was in the forest. He hadn't called to her. He had only reached out and felt her coming to him. His head whirled to face her once more as he formed the question with his mouth, "What are you doing here?"

"Papa sent me to find you."

"That doesn't sound right," Miroku insisted.

"Really, he did. I told the chief's wife that I was in love with someone else. I refused the marriage proposal. Papa told me to tell you that you have until the full moon to ask his consent."

Shippo cocked his head to the side and asked innocently, "Consent for what?"

"To marry her, Shippo," Miroku interjected, rolling his eyes.

Shippo instantly fell over. He was trying everything he could to breathe. He couldn't talk so he used his mind to scream, '_He wants me to marry you!'_

Nishi's hands flew over her ears, and her eyes squished shut. '_You don't have to. He just said that I had to tell you.'_

Miroku could tell that something was happening, but he couldn't tell what. "Shippo, what is going on?"

"I can read her thoughts. We've been using our minds to talk."

Miroku's head was suddenly throbbing. Placing his fingers at his temples, he groaned, "Am I the only one who can have a normal relationship with a female?"

Shippo and Nishi looked up at him with clueless faces.

"Nishi, you can give us more details after we get you back to the village," Miroku commented as he motioned for them to stand.

"No, I can't go back. If I go back without a proposal, then I'll have to marry Taro or be disowned!"

Fighting the vein that was now popping out of his head, Miroku ordered, "Get up. We're going to the camp!"


	15. What Is Locked Within

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 15

What is Locked Within

Ran Yasha – He is one of Karen's enemies. I have written him as a Yasha, but his character is based on a demon of Indian-Hindu folklore called Rakshasa. I do actually mean demon on this one. This is a creature that terrorizes humans. It hunts in remote places like forests and islands. It is mostly associated with a tiger, but it can take many forms. It will kill a human for pleasure and feed on its flesh. Pain is a big turn on for this monster.

Yumeko- The name that I have given to Kagome's mother.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken voice rang out with great joy as he jumped up and waddled towards his master.

Jaken's voice had shot through Sango like a bullet through the heart. She had been fending off the need to be sick while waiting for Miroku to return with Shippo. Nausea was increasingly becoming a daily occurrence for Sango. She couldn't help but wonder if she was under too much stress herself.

"You look ill," Sesshoumaru uttered, noticing that Sango looked pale.

Sango was completely taken aback by his unusual interest in her appearance. Sesshoumaru had never been a threat to her or Miroku. Ironically, he had actually helped them several times in the past. However, he wasn't the type to show unnecessary concern for anyone. Recovering from her state of shock, Sango replied, "I'm fine. I'm just tired from worrying about everyone."

"You are so attached to them that you feel ill when they are facing difficulty? Then that is normal for all humans, I take it?"

"Usually," Sango answered.

"Why such strange questions?" Jaken thought aloud.

Only moving his eyes, Sesshoumaru looked down at the small youkai, who had been groveling at his feet like a dog begging attention.

Jaken's mouth fell opened with the knowledge that he should've kept his question to himself. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I…I …"

Sesshoumaru turned the remainder of his head towards Jaken. The youkai panicked, and losing all concept of what he was trying to say, threw his body to the ground. When Jaken was finally silenced, Sesshoumaru turned away, and moved closer to the spot where his brother was resting with Kagome.

"Inu Yasha, Karen wishes to speak with you." Sesshoumaru announced, shaking the couple from their sleep.

'_This guy is so indignant. He has to be the king of subtlety!'_ Sango said to herself.

Inu Yasha and Kagome sat up at the same time, both propping themselves on one arm, while letting all their weight rest on one hip. They were very hesitant to remove themselves from the comfort of the sleeping bag, and though their upper bodies were free of it, their legs were still covered.

"Why you? Why didn't she come herself?" Inu Yasha questioned as he rubbed his eyes.

"She is speaking with Rin."

Inu Yasha pushed the sleeping bag from his legs and rose.

"She wants the human to be with you."

"She's my wife, Sesshoumaru. Her name is Kagome," He commented irritably.

"Spoken like a true human," Sesshoumaru taunted him arrogantly.

Kagome was on her feet and tugging at Inu Yasha's sleeve to keep him calm.

"Whatever," Inu Yasha growled, "my mate. Just call her Kagome next time, unless you want me to beat her name into your head?"

Kagome pulled on Inu Yasha's arm with greater force, and Sesshoumaru, letting it drop, began walking towards the trees. Inu Yasha grumbled, but followed with Kagome at his side. She had let go of his arm and taken his hand.

Jaken had begun to follow after Sesshoumaru but was stopped by his master's words, "You are to remain here, Jaken." Once again, Jaken had been left to pout in the grass.

The three walked in an awkward silence until Inu Yasha grew impatient and blurted out, "How far do we have to go? We've walked a good way into the forest all ready."

"You are so impatient," Sesshoumaru sighed. "I guess it cannot be helped, you were never taught discipline."

Sesshoumaru hadn't meant it as an insult, but Inu Yasha had heard the words in a harsher tone than they had been intended.

"What is your problem with me? I'd love to hear you explain it…just once!" Inu Yasha yelled, coming to a halt which nearly threw Kagome backwards.

Sesshoumaru stopped and faced him. If Inu Yasha wanted to fight, Sesshoumaru was more than willing to humor him. "If you must know, you are crude, undisciplined, and more concerned with humans than your own bloodline."

"What about your **human**? You seem pretty concerned about her."

"I know the difference between protecting them and bedding them. Perhaps I should explain the difference before you find yourself pinned to another tree."

"Damn you!" Inu Yasha roared and reached for the Tetsusaiga. He pulled it from the scabbard, and with a burst of energy it transformed into the deadly iron fang.

Sesshoumaru, eager to accept the challenge, coolly pulled Toukijin from its place on his hip.

"NO!" Kagome screamed and jumped in front of Inu Yasha. Taking a hold of his kimono, she began to shake him. "No more. I can't take any more rage! Stop it! Please, just stop this," She pleaded, nearly choking on a downpour of tears. Thrusting her face into his chest and throwing her arms around his neck, she continued begging for him to stop.

Deeply frazzled by her unexpected outburst, Inu Yasha dropped his sword. It fell to the ground and returned to normal. It was as if reality had smacked him in the face once again. It no longer mattered that Sesshoumaru was standing before him with Toukijin pointing in his direction. All that mattered was the pain of the woman who was crying out to him. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to….I'll stop," he whispered and folded his arms around her.

Sesshoumaru was left dumbstruck as he gazed at the image before him. He could not believe that Inu Yasha had let his defenses down for something so foolish. '_You would let yourself stumble into death just to stop the tears of a mortal woman?' _ The idea of it was loathsome to him. Yet, the more he watched them, the more his pride nagged at him. A door was being opened within his mind that he was trying to keep closed, at all cost. The mental wall of self hatred and disgust, which had taken years to build, could no longer be kept closed. He could suddenly see himself holding Rin, just as Inu Yasha was holding Kagome. '_Rin!_ _Is this what Karen sees in my future; me mating with a human, and being crippled by her emotions?'_ He couldn't watch them any longer, he had to turn way. '_He is right in saying I am concerned with her. I am too concerned. I'm already falling into the damned trap that my mother has set.' _

It had been the sound of Inu Yasha returning the Tetsusaiga to its scabbard that had saved Sesshoumaru from his anguish. Using the distraction to his advantage, he threw the wall back into place. Keeping his back to them, he suggested, "I could give you distance if you require it. If not, we should continue on."

Kagome climbed onto Inu Yasha's back. He wasn't sure if he trusted Sesshoumaru to innocently lead them to Karen, but he didn't want to upset Kagome again. When she was securely in place, Inu Yasha said, "We don't need it…but I can run with her on my back."

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a quick glance at them and replied, "Fine, we'll run."

Sesshoumaru instantly put distance between himself and the group after reaching their destination. He couldn't bring himself to look at Rin. It was enough that he could see her in his mind. He stood staring at the river as Karen focused her attention on the three who sat quietly at her feet.

Kagome had been sandwiched between Rin and Inu Yasha. She wasn't trying to ignore what Karen was saying, but she couldn't help noticing the power that swirled between Rin and Sesshoumaru. It was like watching a battle between fire and ice. Physically, Sesshoumaru looked as dry and distant as ever, but Kagome could feel the desperation that was eating at him. He was using a great deal energy to keep himself removed from her. As a result, the air was too sexually charged for comfort. After seeing Rin in the new kimono, Kagome understood why the tension was there. Other than how petite the girl was, Rin's appearance wasn't that of a little girl. To be honest, the ribbon in Rin's hair had been the only reminder of the girl she remembered.

For a moment, Kagome wondered if Inu Yasha had noticed what was taking place between Rin and Sesshoumaru. Then she realized that Inu Yasha was to busy tying to block his brother out of his mind. She could see the wall that Inu Yasha was creating with their power. He was guarding himself from his bother, and succeeding because of the link he shared with her.

'_I can know all of this just by reading the power around them? Why couldn't I do this before?'_ That was when she remembered the wind scar. Inu Yasha couldn't see the wind that whirled around youkai until he had been blinded by Sesshoumaru in battle. However, once he had learned to see it, he was able to use the kaze no kizu whenever he wanted. '_All this time…I could see the light of the Shikon shards, and I could feel the youki…I never realized I could see it. That's why I couldn't change it. I didn't know what I was looking for. It was so easy with the shards that I never thought about it.'_

With her new knowledge, she looked at Karen. She distinctly got the impression that Karen was hiding something, but she couldn't tell if it was malicious or not. Kagome simply wasn't strong enough to see past her defenses.

It seemed that Rin was the only person in the group who was not fighting or hiding something. Rin's heart was an open book. She was in love with Sesshoumaru and she was trying to melt his heart with all she had. Kagome could clearly see the hints of Sesshoumaru's power and a trace of energy that linked her to the Tenseiga. Still, there was a bit of youki that she couldn't make out. She was sure it was youki, but she couldn't understand why it was there. All she could make out was that Rin wasn't trying to hide the youki. It was like Rin was clueless about it being there.

"Are you ready, Kagome?" Karen asked, pulling Kagome into reality.

Kagome laughed nervously and asked, "Am I ready for what?"

Karen looked at her for a moment, and then smiled. "While you were daydreaming, I was telling Inu Yasha and Rin that you would be teaching them how to scan their power.

"What!" Kagome squeaked, looking up at Karen in panic.

"Kagome, you know what it is you must do. A master can never become a true master, until she gains the ability to pass on her craft. I wish you to teach Rin as I have taught you. She also has the gift, but lacks training."

"But what about Inu Yasha?" Kagome questioned.

"Have you forgotten that he shares your power? This training is also necessary if he is to take your grandfather's place."

"How do you know about that?" Inu Yasha asked in astonishment.

"Karen has the ability to see time, as well as manipulate it. I am sure she has seen your future, and has some grand scheme planned for you," Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"As I have promised earlier, I will explain all tonight. For now, let us keep with the task at hand. I can only help you for so long. You must learn to control your abilities as soon as possible."

"That excuse only will deter their questions for so long," Sesshoumaru added.

"Sesshoumaru, that will be enough!" Karen scolded him.

"How could you be so cold towards your own mother?" Kagome questioned.

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome with curious eyes. He hadn't expected her to be the one to speak.

"Pay it no mind. He is simply upset over a personal matter," Karen assured them. "Begin with Inu Yasha. Rin will be listening to your instructions. I believe she should be able to perform the scan on her own. Simply observe her, and help only if necessary." Without looking at Sesshoumaru, she commanded with an angry voice, "Sesshoumaru, come with me."

Karen led them to a shaded area and took a seat in the grass. Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she patted the ground next to her with her hand. "You will want to sit as I tell you this."

The belittling action had only encouraged his desire to be rebellious towards her. Snidely, he asked, "Is this about your little talk with, Rin?"

"Defiance will gain you nothing at this point, boy."

He took his place beside her. Looking at the small group that sat just a few yards away, he asked, "Are we far enough from them to have this conversation?"

"Inu Yasha would be the only one of them who could hear it. I am sure his focus will be elsewhere."

"Then be done with it. If you wish me to be your errand boy, I would like to leave as soon as possible."

"Very well, I will get right to the point. Rin's body has suffered more damage than I originally believed. I have no doubt that a yasha was behind the death of her family. I believe the same yasha is responsible for her damage as well. I would gamble anything that the monster was attempting to cover her parentage."


	16. The Calm

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 16

The Calm

Gomenne- another way of saying sorry.

I have added a family tree, with notes, to the end of this chapter. I hope you like it.

**SERIES SPOILER**: DON'T READ THIS NOTE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

It is only a short line in the chapter, but what I am referring to it this: In one episode of the anime, we learn that Sesshoumaru gets sucked into a battle that was originally his father's responsibility. His father had protected a group of youkai from a group of cat youkai. Well, since Inu Dai(papa) has died and is not there to protect these youkai, they go to Sesshoumaru for help. Sesshoumaru agrees because he is assured that these same youkai, who need his aid, will be fighting beside him. Well, they back out on him. He basically ends up fighting on his own. He tells Jaken to get Inu Yasha for back up. Jaken returns to tell him that Inu Yasha has been pinned to Goshinboku by a human. It would figure that the one time Sesshoumaru turns to his brother for help, Inu Yasha is not there. Sesshoumaru suffers a terrible defeat as a result. It is one in which his pride cannot recover, so he blames it on Inu Yasha. So begins Sesshoumaru's anger toward Inu Yasha and his hatred for humans. Jaken is actually the one who explains all this to Inu Yasha in the episode.

**Now to the story…..**

The large group had been split into three distinct groups of individuals. Kagome, Sango and Nishi were gathered at one side of the field, while the men, with the exception of Sesshoumaru and Jaken, were lumped together in the opposite direction. Rin was the only one who curiously lingered outside of her assigned group. Eager to learn why everyone had split up in this way, she cautiously wandered closer to the girls. It took a major amount of effort to accomplish, but she was able to hear bits of the conversation without being noticed. However, all of her hard work had quickly gone to naught as her hand came upon a rock, which caused her to tumble over onto her side. A tiny peep came out of Rin when she noticed herself falling. By the time Kagome and Sango could turn to look in her direction, Rin was busy acting as if she was picking the itsy bitsy flowers that covered the ground.

"Come on, Rin. You might have some questions too," Kagome said rolling her eyes.

Sango said nothing, but gave Kagome a look that asked her if she was sure that Rin should be involved. It was hard enough for Sango to have the conversation with Nishi, but Rin's presence had just added a new level of discomfort. She was sure that she would either die of embarrassment, or die laughing. She was hoping for laughing.

"I think that Karen has plans for…," Kagome stopped to think of a less than obvious way to put it. She tried to lead Sango to look in Sesshoumaru's direction by darting her eyes back and forth.

"No," Sango whispered, placing her closed hand next to her lips.

Kagome nodded and mumbled, "Tall, dark, and fluffy."

Sango nearly died laughing as Rin watched in confusion.

"Rin-chan, come over and sit next to Nishi-chan," Kagome said, pushing at Sango's arm in an attempt to maker her stop laughing.

"Konnichiwa," Rin said warmly as she set down next to Nishi.

"Konnichiwa," she answered.

"Rin-chan, is there anything you want to ask? Or do you just want to listen to the conversation?" Sango asked, finally getting herself to stop laughing.

Rin thought for a moment. There had only been one part of their talk that she had heard, and she had no clue as to what any of it meant. Tilting her head sideways, she asked, "What's sex?"

A Sango looked at Kagome and waited for her to answer Rin's question.

Meeting Sango's embarrassed grin, Kagome, awkwardly began to giggle. "I guess I wasn't ready for that."

"You weren't ready for it? It was your idea to let her join us, and you weren't ready to tell her about sex?" Sango was twitching, with her eyes narrowed.

"Ok, I'll do it," Nishi announced, blushing slightly. She was growing impatient with the situation. She didn't want to talk; she wanted to be with Shippo. She put her hand up to Rin's ear and began to whisper.

Seconds slipped by as Rin listened. Finally, Rin's eyes went wide as they looked downward at the lower half of her body. In a meek voice, Rin asked, "What does that accomplish?"

"Well…um...it's supposed to be really nice. A lot of people like doing it. Oh, and it's how babies are born," Nishi said with a shrug as she pulled away from Rin.

Rin looked at Kagome and Sango. Then she looked over at the group of men, and back at Kagome and Sango. She quickly put together that at least Sango and Kagome must be having sex, because they were the ones explaining it to Nishi. With a very serious look in her eyes, Rin asked, "Is she right? Does it feel good?"

Both girls smiled, and looked at each other, before turning their back and huddling together.

Kagome giggled hysterically, "Why is this so difficult with Rin-chan? It wasn't a big deal with Nishi-chan."

Sango replied in an awkwardly serious tone, "Maybe that's because you've already seen Nishi-chan's body hanging all over Shippo. Rin-chan just looks so innocent. I can't imagine her having sex." She looked over at Sesshoumaru, who was to busy watching the guys to notice her, and said, "I know I can't see her having sex with tall, dark, and fluffy."

"Sango-chan! I'm being serious."

"You said it. And am I. I can't imagine them having sex. It seems too impossible."

"Kagome-sama?" Rin said, trying to get an answer.

Kagome and Sango had to face Rin's question. There was no escaping it. Sango set perfectly still, trying to hold back her need to laugh until she cried.

Meanwhile, Kagome sat forward and nervously tried to answer. "It does feel really…nice."

Sango made a small sound that inspired an evil eye from Kagome. "Gomenne," she said though her hand.

Maintaining her determination to give Rin a good answer, Kagome continued, "It can…bring two people together and make them closer. And, yes, it is how children are…made." All the while, Kagome looked as if she was going to pass out.

Sango was now holding both hands over her mouth to keep herself under control. Kagome smacked her on the arm and said, "I don't see you explaining it any better."

"You're doing great," Sango blurted through her hands.

"I know that kissing feels really nice and it's supposed to feel better than kissing," Nishi explained dreamily as she looked over towards Shippo.

"What's kissing?" Rin panicked.

"Oh god," Sango snickered as Kagome's jaw fell open.

"You have never kissed anyone?" Nishi gasped as if she had a great deal more experience with the matter than she actually had. "You haven't even seen someone do it before?"

"I don't know. How do you do it? Do you use the same part of your body that you use for sex?"

Kagome's mind replayed the image of Inu Yasha's head between her legs, and her face suddenly looked like it had been smeared with red paint. She looked at Sango for help, only to discover that Sango's face was just as red. Again Kagome reached out and hit Sango on the arm. "You're becoming just as perverted as Miroku!"

"Me? Look at you. You know exactly what I'm thinking."

Rin was hopelessly confused.

Nishi moved in close to Rin's ear again, "It's done with the mouth. You kiss by touching your lips together."

"Oh," Rin sighed. Her shoulders lost the tension they had been holding. "You've tried kissing, but not sex? Does that mean I should try to kissing Sesshoumaru-sama before I try…" she paused and looked down, "sex?"

Nishi nodded her head proudly.

Kagome and Sango had stopped bickering just in time to hear the end of the question. Kagome could take no more; she fell onto her side as a result of mental overload. Sango, who was also at her limit, couldn't hold in the laughter any longer.

"Is there something wrong with them? They're really weird." Rin said.

Nishi was to preoccupied with looking at Shippo to hear Rin's words. The moment that she had been waiting for had finally arrived. The men were finished talking, and Shippo was moving away from the group. Nishi took it as her cue to make a quick getaway. "Sorry, Rin-chan, I have to go. If you have more questions, you can ask me. I'll be wherever Shippo is."

Rin watched Nishi walk away. Taking a big swallow, she looked at her two remaining companions, who were still falling apart at the seams. "Should I leave too?"

"We really don't mean to laugh, Rin-chan," Sango apologized. "It's just that you have the most unimaginable relationship of all of us. It is difficult to imagine Sesshoumaru with anyone."

"Sango-chan!" Kagome gasped, looking upwards.

"I'm sorry, I can't dance around this. If Karen does have plans for her and Sesshoumaru, then there is no reason not to face it."

"But why is it so difficult to see me and Sesshoumaru-sama together?"

Kagome finally forced herself to sit up. "You are so innocent and cheerful. He's so cold and distant."

"He hurts." She said looking past them to see Sesshoumaru. He was sitting next to Jaken in the grass. His eyes were fixed on Inu Yasha and Miroku. Anxiously tracing her lower lip with a thumb that extended from her closed fist, Rin tried to explain her reasons. "I feel the hurt in his chest. It's like he can't breathe. But I…I can feel him breathe…when he holds me."

"Rin-chan," Sango whispered.

"Sesshoumaru actually holds you?" Kagome asked.

"He always holds me when I need him too. I can't sleep most nights unless he does. He doesn't like that my dreams scare me. I think he started holding me because he wanted to stop the dreams…but he feels different now."

Kagome thought about what she had seen in the energy that surrounded them. She didn't doubt what Rin was saying, but she was having trouble understanding how Rin was able to feel Sesshoumaru's emotions. As far as she knew, she was the only miko who could do anything like this. She had to know that she wasn't misinterpreting Rin, so she asked, "What do you mean by 'he feels different'?"

In a very soft voice, Rin looked at the ground and answered, "I can feel his pain. It's like having someone's hand on your chest, and they're holding you down. Only, it's his hand that's holding him down. I think he was trying to protect me by letting me sleep on his chest, but now…I think he holds me because he can't breathe until he does. And I can't breathe until he can."

Sango and Kagome both looked back at the tall youkai who silently sat brooding behind them.

"That is Sesshoumaru? I can't believe it," Sango said.

"I can only believe it, because I've seen it for myself. It's there in his youki. He wants to be near her, but he's fighting to keep her at a distance," Kagome commented.

"But why?" Rin asked. "Why is he fighting, Kagome-sama? I want to know why he does this. What made him this way?"

"I don't know, Rin-chan. I don't know him well enough to answer that question."

"Would Inu Yasha-sama know?"

Kagome shook her head and replied, "I doubt it. You should know how much Sesshoumaru hates Inu Yasha."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't hate him. It makes him sad when he's around Inu Yasha-sama, but Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't hate him."

"Kagome-chan, how does she know all of this? Aren't you the only miko who can bond with a youkai this way? She doesn't even know what sex is, but she sounds like you. You had to have sex with Inu Yasha before you could do this."

"Well, we had to be really close and touching. It was always sexual in some way, but maybe touching was enough. I don't understand parts of it now that I think about it. Maybe the fact that Sesshoumaru used the Tenseiga on Rin has something to do with it. I guess we'll have to see if Karen can explain it, when she explains everything else."

"Do you think he will listen to anything we just said?" Miroku asked as his eyes followed Shippo and Nishi into the woods.

"I don't know. If he wants to survive…he'll have to do something," Inu Yasha sighed. "Is Sesshoumaru still watching me with the eyes of death? I feel like a hole is being burned through my soul."

Miroku tilted his body slightly to see around Inu Yasha, and answered, "He hasn't changed since the last time you asked me."

"Feh, it figures. Man, what did I do to that guy? Come on…I'm not the one who picked a fight and lost." He grumbled and glanced over in Kagome's direction. He watched them for a moment before thinking aloud, "They look like they're having a deep discussion with Rin. I wonder what's up."

"My guess is that they are starting from the beginning," Miroku commented off handedly.

"Huh?"

"I doubt that Rin has any knowledge about sex. They are more than likely starting with the basics."

"Sex? Her?" Inu Yasha pointed in Rin's direction but kept his disbelieving eyes on Miroku. "Who would she be having sex with?"

"You are telling me that you can't see it in the way they act? Inu Yasha, you can't be that unobservant." Miroku sat in awe of the cluelessness as Inu Yasha blinked in at him. Rubbing at his forehead, he continued, "Alright, that hasn't changed. She would be having sex with the angry youkai that has been burning a hole 'through your soul' with his eyes."

Inu Yasha was suddenly picking at his ears and shaking his head. "I know I didn't just here you say that." He leaned his ear towards Miroku and asked, "Now tell me again, who's she going to have sex with?"

"Ses…shou…ma…ru," he said slowly, stressing each syllable.

Shippo paced as Nishi watched him. She had hoped that he would join her on the soft patch of grass. Instead he walked back and forth, biting his fingernails as he walked. She had opened her mouth to tell him to sit down, but he was suddenly lying on the ground in front of her.

"Shippo, are you alright?"

"Hehe," he said jokingly. Remaining on his stomach, he propped his head up with his hand. "I fell over my own foot. I feel so stupid."

"But you look really cute." She teased as she crawled towards him.

"Nishi," he said in a worried voice. He rolled over onto his back and started to push himself away from her. It was no use; she had his shoulders pinned to the ground. "Nishi, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" She giggled and lowered her face closer to his.

"Stop flirting with me. It always gets us in trouble."

"But they just told us that we had to. How can we get in trouble when everyone is telling us that it's ok?"

"That's not what they mean," he protested.

She threw her leg over his hip and straddled him. Shippo closed his eyes and began to squirm. "This isn't fair, Nishi!"

She smiled. "We were told that you need to feed. Denying yourself might hurt you. Now, didn't both Inu Yasha and Miroku just tell you to make up your mind?"

"Yes, but this is not going to help me make up my mind. Please, Nishi, get off!"

She stopped flirting and let go of his shoulders. The pain showed plainly on her face as she sat back on his hips. "Why don't you want me? Is it that difficult to pick me?"

"Why are you so willing, Nishi? I don't understand why you want me so much."


	17. Revelations

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 17

Revelations

This was so looooooong! I'm glad it's done.

Inu-dai – It's what Karen calls InuYasha and Sesshoumaru's father. Dai means great, or preceding in Japanese. She is calling him, "The Great Dog."

Chichi-ue –Sesshoumaru uses this when talking about his father. He actually uses this in the manga and the anime. Chichi means father, while ue refers to higher rank. Kohaku uses Anee-ue (older sister of higher rank) for Sango. It works the same.

Midoriko -The original priestess who fought against the youkai. It was from the combination of her soul and the youkai's soul that formed the Shikon no Tama.

Toukimaru -The husband of Midoriko. I made it up. This one is not canon. Touki means winter season, and maru is a typical ending for a young mans name. It is a guy's name that I took a liking too.

Concubines -What Sesshoumaru says about concubines later in the story is true. It was common for the upper classes to keep concubines. I would go into a lot of the history, but I think that Sess is going to explain it more in the next chapter. If I don't write it into the story, then I'll write a special note on the subject next time.

Yutaka –I named this character after the bass player of the band Buck-Tick. I'm so obsessed!

**Now to the story….**

Rin had just begun her conversation with Nishi as Sesshoumaru emerged from the forest. He appeared to be carrying a large boar by its hind legs. The animal's head was missing, and its belly had been sliced open at an odd angle. The closer he came, the more disgusting the image became.

Sesshoumaru came to a dead stop directly in front of Rin. Without turning his body to face her, or looking at her at all, he asked, "Will this do?" The words came out of his mouth as if he had been talking to her intimately, yet his face was as blank as ever. His entire stance conveyed an eerie elegance that only he could accomplish with such ease.

Rin leaned away from the animal and nodded, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama."

With her appeasement, Sesshoumaru walked up to Inu Yasha and tossed the carcass at his feet. "I've fulfilled my obligation. The rest is for you," he said and turned away.

"Hey," Inu Yasha jumped up from his place at Kagome's side. "Where the hell are you going now?"

Without looking back, Sesshoumaru answered, "To rid myself of this filth."

As always, Jaken jumped up to follow his master, only to be immediately rejected once again.

"Poor Jaken-sama," Rin said sadly, while Jaken's body fell backwards into the grass.

"There's not a drop of blood on him," Nishi whispered.

"It's the smell that he's talking about," Inu Yasha grumbled as he watched Sesshoumaru disappear into the trees.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome gasped as she took off after Sango, who was running towards the nearest line of trees.

"Wha…what the…?" InuYasha asked in confusion as he spun around to face Miroku.

Miroku's back was to InuYasha as he explained, "She suddenly got pale, and…before I know it, she was running."

"Great," InuYasha grumbled. "I guess I'll start on this thing." He unsheathed Tessaiga, and announced, "If I'm gutting the pig, someone else is getting the fire started. And it's not going to be me who cooks the thing."

"Oh well, I'm sure that Kagome-sama is with Sango by now. I'm sure it is better to let her tend to Sango, anyway," Miroku sighed. He didn't care what chore he got stuck with, as long as he knew that Sango was being looked after.

InuYasha stuck the end of the Tessaiga into the meat, and then stood to remove his upper garments. Blood and pig's fat were not things he wanted all over his clothes. Despite his annoyance at being left to gut the filthy animal, he tried to take Miroku feel better. "Sango's a strong woman, you know. She probably just caught wind of the smell," He said as he tossed the clothes aside. "I know I've smelled youkai who've had a better scent. I'll be surprised if I don't puke before I'm finished."

Miroku smiled and nodded towards InuYasha before saying, "Come on, Shippo, help me look for firewood."

"Can I come with him?" Nishi spoke up as Shippo hopped to his feet.

"Stay here with me and Rin," InuYasha ordered. "Things will get done quicker, if he is in a rush to get back to you."

Nishi watched dejectedly as Shippo was lead away by Miroku. However, Rin didn't let Nishi sit and sulk. Instead, Rin went back to asking questions.

'_He would pick something this messy, just because it took so little effort to kill,' _Inu Yasha thought as he cut a large piece of the meat away from the body. '_Heaven forbid the mighty Sesshoumaru should get dirt under his pretty nails.'_

By the time Sango had realized that running wasn't making her feel better, she was in the forest. She had thrown herself against a large rock, just in time to empty the contents of her stomach behind it.

Kagome waited silently as Sango fought to keep her hair away from her face. Without a word, Kagome moved up beside her friend, and took over the job of tending the long black hair.

When there had been nothing left to expel, Sango stood up by leaning on the rock for support. With a shaky voice, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Kagome-chan. I didn't want anyone to see that."

Kagome placed her hand on Sango's back. She made small circles with the flat of her palm as she said, "I know, but I followed anyway. You don't have to worry about it."

"Arigatou," Sango replied. She was still too embarrassed to say much more.

"What's happening Sango-chan? This is only the second time that I've seen you sick like this. Are you ok?"

"I need your help to answer that question."

Kagome looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"I got sick like this the morning of your wedding. Your mother was the only other person awake, and she found me in the bathroom. I was too embarrassed to talk to her about it. So, she insisted that I bring something back with me. She said that you would be able to help me use it."

Kagome took a second to wonder what Mama could have sent back. Then suddenly it came together in her mind. "Oh my God…," she gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Sango-chan, are you talking about a pregnancy test?"

Sango looked up at Kagome with even greater embarrassment than before, and replied, "I don't know what that thing is called. But…I do think that I'm pregnant. All the signs are there. I need to be sure before I tell Miroku."

Kagome tossed her arms around her friend, and asked, "Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

Sango returned the hug and responded, "You had so much to deal with. I didn't want to burden you."

"You should've told me. You're my best friend. Don't ever think that way again," Kagome insisted. "Where's the test?"

"It's back at the village. We'd have to sneak back to get it."

"Do you think you can run without getting sick again?"

"I hope so. I think it was the smell of the boar that made me sick."

"Then let's go. If we are gone too long, they'll come looking for us. If we're lucky, you'll have an answer really soon."

InuYasha stomped through the forest. He had left Miroku and Shippo to cook the pieces of pork he had cut. A large towel had been draped across his naked left shoulder, and he was holding a bar of soap in his right hand. He was hungry, tired, and thanks to the boar, he stank. He had no choice but to take a bath in the cold river. It was something he was not looking forward too.

'_Great, Sesshoumaru had the same damned idea that I had,'_ he thought as his brother's scent came to him on the breeze. '_He would pick this spot. Screw it! I don't feel like walking any farther. He's gonna have to share.'_

InuYasha exited the trees to find Sesshoumaru's clothing lying on the side of the river, and his brother standing in waist deep water.

"Why are you here?" Sesshoumaru asked arrogantly, without bothering to turn around.

"Your choice in food stinks," InuYasha said as he washed his hands in the water.

Sesshoumaru looked back at InuYasha. He had found amusement in the pun, and could not resist the smirk that appeared on his lips.

"Nice to know that Rin's given you a sense of humor," InuYasha mumbled in amazement.

Sesshoumaru blocked out the words and returned to his task of splashing water onto his body.

InuYasha dried his hands with the towel and threw it over a nearby rock. Successfully removing some of the mess from his hands, he removed his pants without leaving a smell on them. He looked down at the water and said, "Damn, that's going to be cold." Taking a deep breath and clutching the soap, he rushed into the water and fell backwards.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold, COLD!" InuYasha yelled as he popped up out of the water.

"Stop acting like a child," Sesshoumaru demanded with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

InuYasha stood up and splashed his way farther into the water, which brought him closer to Sesshoumaru. "Oh forgive me, Oukou-sama," he said sarcastically. He was going to drop it after the comment, but he couldn't. Losing the sarcastic tone, he followed up with, "I know I'm spoilt by Kagome's world, but you're telling me that you don't think this water's cold?"

"I do not choose to complain about it, as if I were a child."

"Man, you're a pain," InuYasha snorted and turned his back to Sesshoumaru.

"Your acting a bit overconfident, aren't you?" Sesshoumaru was showing the first sign of anger since InuYasha had entered the water.

"No!" He snapped as he turned to face Sesshoumaru. "If you think about it, we're both very naked, and standing in very cold water. And…," InuYasha pointed towards the riverbank. "All our weapons are over there. I don't think we'll be touching each other."

The logic had left Sesshoumaru stunned and staring at InuYasha.

"Why does everyone give me that look!"

The last rays of sunlight loomed over restless heads as the group waited for Karen. Dinner had taken much longer to prepare than to eat. For a group mixed with human and youkai, waiting wasn't what anyone wanted.

Inu Yasha finished the last of his dinner and throw the stick towards the fire. "Karen's been gone for hours. I wish she'd come back and get this over with. I'm tired of waiting for her," Inu Yasha griped as he rested his head on Kagome's lap.

"You'll find that Karen does things according to her own notion of time," Sesshoumaru commented in a flat voice. He was seated with crossed legs between Rin and Jaken.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon. Just be still and let me read this," Kagome said putting her hand on Inu Yasha's chest. She was trying to read one of her textbooks as Inu Yasha wiggled around looking for a comfortable position to lie in.

"Hey," Inu Yasha whispered as he looked up at her. When she ignored him, he pushed his hand in front of the page she was reading. "You and Sango were gone for a long time. What were you doing?"


	18. My Darkness

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 18

My Darkness

Ohisashiburi desu ne? (It has been a long time, huh?) I'm sorry for making you all wait this long for an update. I have been ill, and it has taken all this time to get back in to writing. Hopefully, none of you will be disappointed with my new chapters. So here goes!

**Now on to the story…**

Sesshoumaru's dramatic exit had giving Inu Yasha the window for escape that he had been waiting for. He had had enough of family histories and cryptic fortunes. He was already on his feet with their sleeping bag in hand, when Kagome began asking her questions to Karen. He was resolved not to ask why she felt the need to start another conversation. All he wanted was to sleep.

"Karen, I have to know how Rin is able to share Sesshoumaru's feelings. She hasn't…I mean…she doesn't even know what kissing is." Kagome stumbled over her words as she tried to find a polite way to explain Rin's current sexual status.

"Rin has not yet experienced a man's touch. That is very true, but why do you believe she would need this? Why do you think that sex has anything to do with this ability?" Karen questioned.

"I wasn't able to do it until…"

"Come now, that is not true. You have always had the ability. You simply did not allow yourself to use it- that is, until you were forced to do so. Only recently, did you accept the possibility of being a miko. You came to this decision for the sake of the man you loved. You made no effort to accept it otherwise."

"Ok, that's true. Then what makes me so special. Rin is just as powerful as I am. I've seen what she can do. She purified Sesshoumaru without being affected. I couldn't have done that."

Karen fought with her heart's wish to speak out as the group waited for her words. It would have been so easy in that moment to give Kagome the truth about her Yasha blood. However, Karen had finally stumbled upon the one thing she could not command; her daughter's will. Shinta might have been willing to accept telling Kagome the truth, but the daughter that Karen had given him would not allow it. As far as the "woman," Yumeko Higurashi, was concerned, Kagome was 100 human.

Hiding the pain within her heart, Karen began to explain, "Rin has an unfair advantage."

"The youki…" Kagome whispered.

"I knew you would notice it on your own." Karen smiled as she said it.

"Youki?" Miroku asked.

"She doesn't know it's there. I hadn't caught it until after Karen taught me to scan my own power." Kagome explained.

"Ah, but she does know it is there. She does not remember the majority of her life before meeting my son. Therefore, she does not know why the youki is there. This is what you are feeling…her lack of confusion about its existence. Rin is not completely human. Like InuYasha, she is a hanyou. I believe her father was a yasha."

Miroku had to cut in, "You're saying that Rin is powerful, because she knows that she is part yasha?"

"Rin is powerful because she does not doubt who she is. She accepts that she has these powers, because she has no reason to doubt them. This is the only reality she knows. Since she has not been shown her abilities, she has never learned her limitations. She simply experiments and learns with each new outcome. The Yasha blood does make her stronger physically. Although, she would be powerful without the knowledge of the youki, because she does not doubt herself."

Sesshoumaru plopped down as hard as he could against the hard wood of the tree. The action had forced the halts of his swords to slam sideways into his thigh, causing a sharp pain that helped to numb his emotions. For a moment only, he felt nothing but the swords digging into his body. He closed his eyes and savored the distraction and the darkness that the trees veiled him in. Leaning his head back, he let it roll until his face turn toward the source of his unrest, and opening his eyes, he could still see Karen standing with them. '_Soon I can leave this place,'_ he told himself. '_She will not win. I am not some horse that she can use as a stud! To think that she would use me to bait nobility, and use Rin to be my tether,"_ he snorted, "_she is too wrong." _

As angry as he was, Sesshoumaru had sworn an oath to the Empress, and duty forced him to stay were he was; regardless of the war that was raging within him. As he watched the distant figures move about in the fire light, Rin was making her way slowly towards him. He shifted to renew the pain, but it was not enough to hold back the feeling he had for Rin. He wanted her with him more than he wanted to hate Karen for the humiliation that she had brought upon him.

He had no intention on moving from the spot unless he had to. He simply sat there and watched Rin come closer and closer. Rin's slender form was backlit by the fire. "A shadow escaping the light," he whispered as he waited for her, "You should be engulfed in light, but you would choose the darkness. Why do you do this, Rin?" He couldn't watch her come any closer, he closed his eyes and focused on the sound of the forest beside him.

Rin had stopped several feet from him. Kneeling down into the grass, she placed her hands on her lap and waited without a sound. Something about her presence was too overpowering for him to bear. He had been closer to raging fires that had given off less heat than her delicate body.

'_Why do I want to touch her so damn much? My body's not aroused. Why is it that I can't get her out of my mind?'_ He closed his eye and held them closed as tightly as he could.

Rin took it upon herself to stand and walk around Sesshoumaru. When she saw that he was not going to look up at her, she sat herself as close to his side as she could. "Sesshoumaru-sama, aren't those uncomfortable?" She asked looking down at the swords that were digging into the dirt and pressed again his body.


	19. The Life I Did Not Live

_Brief Moments_

By Mishi

Chapter 19

The Life I Did Not Live

Ok, this is the last chapter of Brief Moments. Don't worry, I'm not leaving it like this. The story will continue with my next fic, Fragments of Time. I'll try to post as quickly as I can.

**Now on the story…**

InuYasha skooted lower into the sleeping bag as he watched Kagome say her goodbyes to Sango and Miroku. While she started walking towards him, Sango and Miroku walked over to Kirara.

"Where are they going?" InuYasha asked when Kagome was close enough to hear him.

Kagome waited until she could slip into her spot beside him before she answered, "They're going back to the village."

"Why are they doing that?" InuYasha was puzzled.

"If Shippo has to go back to talk to Nishi's father, then we should all go," she paused and avoided his eyes,"...and Sango needs some alone time with Miroku."

"Hmm?"

Rin stood alone in a small hut. She had been here before, but she knew that she didn't belong here now. It was the hut that she grew up in, the hut that she had shared with her family. She looked to her right and saw several bodies sleeping on the floor before her.

'_This is my family. Why am I here?'_ She thought as she looked away and examined the room around her. '_I shouldn't be here. Sesshoumaru-sama took me away from this place.'_ She was beginning to feel panicked, '_Where is Sesshoumaru-sama!'_

She turned to open the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a wolf growl. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and reached for the door. '_Where is it? Why can't I find the door?' _ Her hands grasped at air as she fought to find the door.

"Open your eyes child," came a voice from in front of her.

She opened her eyes to find a large black cat before her. It was easily twice the size of a mountain lion. The site of it left her more frightened than she had ever been of any wolf.

"Come now, girl, you can't tell me that you don't remember me," it purred. "You remember what happens next."

The beast moved aside as two human like forms pushed Rin aside. To anyone else, they might have been human men, but she knew that they weren't. There bodies stank of evil, just as the giant cat's body did. She helplessly watched as the creatures murdered her family. Pressing her small body against the frame of the door, she slide to the floor and cried into her hands. She was too afraid to move, or to cry out. She could've ran, but the monster outside would get her too. There was nowhere to run or to hide. All she could do was watch.

Mesmerized by the gore in front of her, it was the growl of a wolf that tore her eyes away.

"Yes, little one, it is you next. You should run now, don't you think?" the cat purred from outside the hut.

Terrified, Rin sprang to her feet and took off towards the woods. Desperately she cried out for Sesshoumaru, but he was not to be found. Her eyes were so filled with tears that she could no longer see where she was going, and lost her footing to a small hole in her path-even the ground was suddenly her enemy!

When she looked back, the wolves were slowly making their way toward her. Once again, she cried out for Sesshoumaru to save her.

"Rin?" Sesshoumaru called out to her.

Rin whirled her head around to see Sesshoumaru standing only feet away from her. Her face lit up as she thanks God that he had actually found her.

She climbed to her feet and raised her hand towards him, "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Do you really think that he can help you?" the cat hissed.

Shaken by the voice, Rin turned to look at the black beast.

"He is nothing to me. He will not stop me from having you. Nothing can save you from me." Suddenly, the cat leapt at Sesshoumaru and took hold of his throat with its teeth, tearing the head from the shoulders. Sesshoumaru's body fell to the ground with the beast setting on his chest. "See, child, you are mine and I'll never let such a weakling have you."

Rin calapsed to the ground into a shaking lump. She dug into the dirt as she repeated the word "no" over and over.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru called out. "Rin, do you hear me."

Finally Rin opened her eyes and found herself in Sesshoumaru's strong embrace. She was shaking and tears were fresh on her cheeks.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she whispered through the tears as she buried her face in his chest.

"That was worse than the last one," he noted aloud. He let her cry as he stroked her hair. There was a desperate need in him to fight, but what could he fight against. He forced the urge way and continued to comfort her.

"Please don't let go, Sesshoumaru-sama, please don't let me go," Rin sobbed madly.

"I am not letting you go. Calm yourself, Rin," he whispered.

"Don't let me go, please don't let me go."

He wanted to hold her tighter, to wrap her in himself, but it just didn't work with only one arm. This was the first time he had honestly regretted not having two arms.

Miroku was working on the removal of Sango's kimono before they could push their way into the hut.

"Will you stop that," Sango giggled.

Miroku tossed her kimono to the floor and stopped to look at her body in the tight black uniform that he loved so much. "umm, no," he said, shaking his head with a very dirty grin on his face.

"You are relentless!" She giggled louder, and fumbled to help him before he tore something.

He mumbled something as his mouth collided with her neck, but she couldn't make out words.

"What are you saying?" She asked, a bit breathless.

"We're alone," he cheered as he pulled back from her. He was so overjoyed that he was practically bouncing. "Thanks be to Buddha, we're alone!"

"Oh for crying out loud, you act like it has been years or something."

"My precious Sango, to a pervert such as I, it has been years!" He joked, bouncing over to grab the mat and blankets. He tossed them down, not really caring how they looked, but in such a way that their bodies would be safe from the wooden floor. Then, hopping over their bed, he bent over and scooped Sango up into his arms.

Instantly, Sango was ill. Her head was spinning, and so was her stomach. "Miroku," she said, pushing at his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sango, I didn't think about you being sick," he said, returning her feet to the floor. "You're alright, right?"

"I think I need to sit."

"Ok," he responded as he watched her go to her knees and crawl to the blankets.

She took several deep breathes and said, "I need to tell you something, Miroku."

"What is it?" he asked, sitting beside her. He put his hand against her cheek to show her his concern.

"I'm so afraid to tell you this."

The finality of her words was enough to put him on edge, "What is it, Sango? Just tell me." He was remaining calm despite himself. "I don't like the sound of your voice."

She couldn't sit so close to him, she had to stand. In confusion he stood with her. Nervously, she lifted her hand to her mouth and started to bite at her thumb.

"Stop this, just tell me," he said gently taking a hold of her shoulders.

She looked into his eyes and wanted to cry, the fear rising in her chest was almost like the contents of her stomach rising in her throat.

She took a slow breath inward, and releasing the breath she answered him, "I'm going to have a baby, Miroku."

"Oh, is that all," he responded rolling his eyes.

"I said that you're going to be a father, Miroku." She said with a serious look on her face.

He looked at her for a few seconds and lost all feeling of his legs beneath him. The next thing he knew he was on his knees looking up at her in a daze.

"Miroku!" she rushed forward to try and steady him.

"You're pregnant? You're…" He chuckled. "Me a father?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I should have tried to prevent it."

"What?" He was quickly coming back to himself. "No, you didn't do anything wrong, Sango." He put his hands on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you that idea. It was just a shock." He looked down and shook his head, "I should've figured it out. You have all the signs for a pregnant woman. I just couldn't see it."

"You're not angry about it, you're sure?" She questioned cautiously.

He drew back from her and set back against the wall. "I'll never be angry at you…not for that."

After a moment of silence, it hit him, "Why'd you think I'd be angry about it?"

"I always figured that you just used it as an excuse to chase women, not that you really wanted to have a child," she answered frankly.

"I think until this moment, I might have," she whispered solemnly. "Who else knows?"

"Just Kagome. Oh, and well, Kagome's mother. She figured it out when we were in Kagome's world for the wedding."

He said nothing, but nodded his head. He watched her silently for a moment before moving towards her. Righting himself on his knees, he asked her, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," she answered.


End file.
